Revengers
by Jazzy Pseudonym
Summary: It's been 19 years since Loki's attempted world takeover. The Avengers are out of order. They have children of their own now. But Director Fury isn't happy. He assembles the next generation of Avengers. Though to his surprise, they turned out nothing like their parents... Meanwhile, the son of Loki is searching for his father, and an unexpected enemy awakes in Jotunheim...
1. Prologue

Author's Note: THIS IS MY BRAINCHILD. THIS IS THE RESULT OF DREAMS, MEEKAKITTY, AND AN EXCEEDING LOVE FOR THE AVENGERS. What makes this different then other FFs? Well, the next generation is nothing like their parents. Because quite frankly, most kids aren't exactly like their moms and dads! Secondly, there's LOKI. Yup, that's right. LOKI. So uh, yeah. FYI, Lupe's name is pronounced "loop" not "loo-peh" "Loo-peh" is a Spanish woman's name. "Loop" is a beast name. AAAANYWAY. Expect updates whenever I feels like it. Please review! ~Jazzy

Avengers: Next Gen

Prologue:

~5 years after Loki's attempted world takeover~

1. & 7.

Clint sat on a chair next to the table, two cups of steaming coffee set on top. Natasha sat on the opposite side, watching the children in the living room intently. Her long curly red hair was restrained by a ponytail holder. Even though she had been out of commission for 3 years, she hadn't changed a bit physically. Still muscular and lithe, perfect figure and all. She reached over and grabbed her mug, taking a sip of coffee.

"Hey babe," she turned to look at him. "what's Everest playing with?" Clint moved his gaze towards his oldest child. Everest was almost 3 years old, with blazing red hair like his mother. He had hazel eyes and thin features. He sat on the rug playing with his toys. Right now he was playing with a fake knife set, plastic. It was a humorous gift from Tony Stark for the child.

"Don't worry, dear." Clint laughed. "It's just that plastic knife set Tony gave him."

"Oh good." She closed her eyes, taking another drink of coffee. Clint still stared at Everest. His eyes widened.

"Uh dear… those aren't the plastic knives…" At that, both ex-agents jumped up and ran for their son, taking Natasha's knives away from him.

"How did he even get those?" Natasha yelled, holding up Everest.

"I don't know! I thought you locked up all your gear!" Clint bellowed, picking up all the knives. He shoved them all on the kitchen cabinet with a sigh. Natasha sat the 3 year old on the large couch.

"Don't do that ever again, Ev." She reprimanded him. "Don't play with mommy's knives."

"But mommy!" Everest protested. He was adorable, Clint thought. Big eyes, red hair. "I just wanted to be like you!"

"Yeah, mommy." Clint smirked. "He just wanted to be like you."

"Stay out of this, Barton." Natasha scowled. "I don't want our son to be like me." She shuddered. "You know how that would end."

"You're right…" Clint admitted. He leaned closer to his son. "Maybe when you're older, kid."

No one noticed the little brown haired 1 year old in the corner. Her eyes were not just blue, they were intensely blue, not at all a normal shade. Both her parents were fixated on Everest, not her, just as she had planned. She smiled as she reached for her daddy's bow and arrow set. She plucked a large arrow and began chewing on the middle part contentedly.

2.

The woman sat in the rocking chair, holding her 3 year old son carefully. No matter how much she tried, he simply would not fall asleep. Long black strands of hair fell in his face. Deep emerald green eyes refused to close. "Mommy?" he asked.

"Yes, Lupe?" She smiled wearily.

"Tell me a story, please?" He spoke exceedingly well for a child his age, she noticed.

"Sure dear, what kind of story?" Maybe this would get the child to finally fall asleep. She had experienced way too many sleepness nights lately. Every time Lupe fell asleep, he woke up screaming from 'nightmares.' She had once asked him what kind of nightmares. All he revealed was that they were taking place in some other world. She hoped he wasn't seeing his father. There would be too much to explain.

"Tell me a story about daddy, mommy!" He pleaded, adjusting his seat in her lap. She sighed audibly.

"You know mommy doesn't like talking about daddy, Lupe." She brushed some of his hair out of his face.

"But mommy, I want to know about him. Just a little. Please? I'll go to bed then!" He must really want to hear a story about him, she figured, if he's offering to sleep for it.

"Fine, baby. But just one." He smiled, and looked expectantly at her. "Once upon a time there was a man named Loki…"

"That's like my last name!" Lupe exclaimed. "Lokison!"

"Baby, don't interrupt."

"Sorry." He said quietly.

"And this man was very powerful. He had friends, but even more enemies-"

"Why?"

"Lupe, what did I say about interrupting?"

"Sorry."

She began again. "So Loki had to run away. But one day, he hid in a house. And this house had a woman named Lila in it-"

"That's you, mommy!" She didn't bother to reprimand him this time. It was futile anyway.

"Mhm. And he ended up staying at Lila's house much longer then he planned. Because Loki liked Lila. And after a couple of months, they fell in love."

"And then they had me, right mommy?" Lupe interjected.

"That's right sweetie." She kissed the top of his head. "Now it's bedtime."

He let her tuck him into his bed without a word. But as soon as she started to leave, he stopped her. "Mommy?"

"Yes dear?"

"What happened to daddy?"

Lila stared at the floor for a second. "Daddy had to leave."

"But why?"

The question hurt, it brought back memories she'd rather forget. "You remember the enemies mommy mentioned?" Lupe nodded silently. Thank goodness he's silent for once… "Well they found daddy, and daddy had to go back home."

"Where's home for daddy?"

She laughed a little. "Far away, Lupe. Far away."

"Will he come back?"

Lila kneeled down next to the bed. "I think so."

3.

Steve sat in the restaurant, absent mindedly looking through the menu. The restaurant wasn't very busy today, a normal Thursday. Across the table was a young 3 year old girl. Like her father, she held the menu in front of her face. He could just see her light brown hair pigtails sticking out of the side of the menu. It was much smaller than his, and came with crayons.

"Amelia, what are you going to eat?" Steve smiled as he asked her. The menu fell down to the table. Amy had light brown hair, light grey eyes, and a few small freckles. She was tall for her age, and Steve could already see small muscles on her arms. It looked like the genetic enhancement had spread to her…

"I wanna burger!" She smiled lopsidedly. The menu went right back up to obscure her face.

"Okay Amy, we'll order next time the waiter comes over."

"Daddy, when's mommy coming?" She asked.

"Mommy's on her way. She sent me a text." He'd gotten more used to modern technology, but Steve was far from an expert. His 3 year old daughter could use it better than him!

The door of the restaurant opened to reveal his wife. "Hey babe!" She called out, running to join him.

"Hello Teresa." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. She sat down across from him, next to Amy.

"Eww," said the large menu that was his daughter.

"Oh hello there, mr. menu," Teresa said. She immediately began tickling their daughter, who laughed and dropped the menu. "Oh! There was an Amelia back behind there!" Amy laughed and giggled.

The waitress came over. "What can I get you today? Oh my god- you're Captain America!" She dropped her notebook. It fell on the floor with a thud.

Steve smiled sheepishly. "I'm one of your biggest fans!" The waitress admitted. She pulled out her necklace chain to reveal a dogtag with Captain America's logo on it.

"He's not Cap'n 'Merica!" Amy protested. "He's my daddy!" The menu was still on the floor, underneath the table. A few crayons had fallen as well.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a daughter," The waitress' smiled flickered a bit. She pushed blonde hair back out of her face.

"And he has a wife too," Teresa said with a smirk. The waitress awkwardly picked up her notebook.

"What would you like to order?" She asked, her face twitching a bit.

"I'll have the burger and fries," Steve said.

"House salad," Teresa ordered.

"I wanna burger too!" Amelia grinned, holding the green crayon in one hand. She reached over to Teresa and began to furiously color her arm. The waitress left, while writing a few things on her notebook.

"Was that jealousy I saw?" Steve asked his wife with a chuckle.

"Not at all," Teresa said with a perfect poker face. Amy rested her head against her mother with a small smile.

"I love you daddy…"

4.

"He's going to die!" Tony sighed as Pepper shouted at him.

"And why is it my problem, Pepper?" He asked, placing a few ice cubes in his drink. They sloshed around as he spun the cup in his hand.

"Because you can save him, Tony! You can save his life, isn't that a big deal?" She walked over to the window. It overlooked all of New York. It had been repaired rather well in 5 years…

"I save a lot of lives. Why does this one matter so much?"

"He's two years old, Tony. He will die if he can't get a heart."

"Do I look like a heart donor to you?" He snorted.

"He's past the stage of getting a heart donated. None of them worked. What they need Tony," she turned to look at him. She was probably the most beautiful woman Tony had ever seen. He even considered proposing to her. Never gone through with it, but he could've. If he wanted to. "What they need is an arc reactor."

"What? They want me to implant an arc reactor in some toddler's chest?"

"That's the idea," Pepper said dryly.

"And they expect that to… power him?"

"He doesn't have a heart, he needs something to keep him going."

"And no machine will work?"

"His body keeps on rejecting things. Ever since he was born." Pepper stared at him, her eyes locked with his. "His parents gave him up. The hospital can't afford him anymore." She sat down next to him. "And who do I know that's a rich billionaire with incredible technology that could save him?"

"You flatter me, Pepper."

"Will you do it then?"

Tony breathed deeply. "It's not a one time thing, Pepper. He'll eventually outgrow it if I implant it while he's two. It'll need to be powered more and more until he stops growing. Too much power and he'll die…" He paused to think. It's not like he had any kids. Well, kids that he knew about. Pepper wasn't able to have one anyway… Maybe he could…

"I'll keep him." Tony stated.

"What?" Pepper looked at him like he was insane.

"I'll fix the boy, and I'll keep him. He needs parents, right?" He nudged her.

"Are you sure this isn't one of those rash decisions you make and then later regret? It's a kid, you can't just toss him out and get a new one later-" Tony started to speak, but Pepper stopped him. "I mean it, Tony."

"Do you want me to save him or not?"

"Yes."

They sat down on the couch for a while. Probably 30 minutes at least. Finally, Tony broke the silence.

"What's this kid's name anyway?"

Pepper smiled. "Neo."

"Hm… Neo Stark. Has a nice ring to it…"

5.

"Tryst WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jane Foster yelled. The toddler sat in the living room, holding a bent fork. She jabbed the fork right into the electric socket. "NO!" She dived towards her daughter but fell short.

Electricity jolted around her, covering her form. The lights flickered in the house, on and off. The clocks started beeping. The TV turned the channels. The radio changed stations and volume.

"Mommy?" Tryst asked, pulling out the fork. The building suddenly lost all power.

"Baby! Don't EVER do that again!" Jane said, pulling her daughter into her lap. Tryst was unusually warm and shocked her at the touch. Thor said it would happen eventually, Jane thought. I just didn't think it'd be this soon.

"Jane?" The voice bellowed into the room. Thor flew in from the ceiling, right through the open skylight. "What has occurred? I have heard your screams from the other side of this town!" He walked over to her and her daughter. Tryst looked strikingly like her father. She had long blonde hair and light blue eyes.

"Tryst here decided to put a fork in the electric socket. She could have killed herself!" Thor just laughed. Loudly.

"What? What are you laughing at? Our daughter is suicidal!" Jane shouted.

"No, no she is not eager to take her own life." Thor chuckled again, setting his hammer on the table. "But instead she has revealed her gifts to us! And at such a young age. I was 50…." He drifted off.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, still clutching her daughter for dear life.

"In Asgard, citizens of higher standing all get… gifts. And when they are revealed, they get titles. I am, as you know, the God of Thunder." He reached to Tryst and held her in his large arms. "I believe Tryst here is the Goddess of Lightning." He smiled, and Jane felt better. Thor's smile was gorgeous. It was partly what made her fall in love in the first place. "I thought I was God of both Thunder and Lightning, but this is interesting…"

"So what do we do about it now?" Tryst began playing with her father's beard.

"We must take her to Asgard, to her dedication ceremony, naturally. Odin will want to see her…"

6.

The boy sat alone in the pure white room. Dark brown curls fell into his face. He had chocolate brown eyes. He was on a white shag rug. Small toy action figures were in the room. The Avengers action figures, with bonus figure: Loki! Someone had a sense of irony.

"Why does he have to be in that room, it's so cold and white. No place for a child…" A female agent said to Fury. Fury gazed into the room's window. It was one-sided.

"We don't yet know if the transformation worked. The genetics are tricky. We don't want to set him off until we know how strong he is…" He replied evenly.

"I think this was a bad idea. You know Banner didn't want any more of… him out there."

"He didn't have a choice. Besides, this isn't his 'son.' Technically it's his clone."

"But, sir, he still didn't want any more hulks out there." She protested.

"Because he thought they couldn't be controlled. We're to prove him wrong. Bane here will be our weapon." Fury paced around the control room.

"Sir, children shouldn't be weapons!"

"Did I ask you for your opinion, Agent Yvonne?" Fury snarled.

"No sir."

"Then don't give it to me. I will reassign you if you cannot perform your mission appropriately."  
"I will perform it, sir."

"You understand what you must do, Agent?"

"Yes sir," She replied. "I must take Bane under my wing and raise him."

"Good. Now go meet him."

Agent Yvonne walked into the white room, shielding her eyes for a minute. It was so bright. So pure. The child looked up at her, wordless.

"Who are you?" He asked. His words were slightly slurred because of his age.

"I'm going to be your new mommy, Bane." She smiled and crouched down to his level. He didn't say anything. "Whatcha got there, buddy?" He held on to his action figures tightly.

"They're my heroes." He said stubbornly.

"Which one's your favorite, Bane?" It was awkward talking to him. She had known his "father" quite well. And now she had to watch his clone.

"I like this one the best." He held up the biggest figure. The Hulk.

"I like that one the best too," Yvonne grinned.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **Back from vacation! A big thanks to all who reviewed! Expect long chapters and long updates on this fic! I'm still working on chapter 2. I promise that there will be a plot and a baddie (and Loki, for all you mischief lovers out there), but that will come into play a bit later in the story... ~Jazzy

**Chapter One: Assembly**

**14 years later…**

**1.**

Everest scowled as he stared at the screen. He grabbed the remote and shut it off with a defining "click." The black screen of the TV displayed a blurry reflection. Short red hair, grey eyes, tall, lanky, athletic. He pulled himself up off of the couch, stretching his arms. The phone rang.

_Ring_

"Anubis!" He shouted down the hallway. "Get the phone!" The phone was located in the kitchen, down the hallway from him.

"Get it yourself!" She replied back.

_Ring_

"It's probably for you!" He protested. Ev rubbed his eyes tiredly. His callused hands felt rough against the sensitive skin on his eyelids. Almost all the calls were for Anubis these days. The guys at school were relentless, even though Anubis clearly showed no interest in them.

_Ring_

"I'm not gonna get it, so if you want it answered, pick it up yourself!" Her shout echoed down the hallway.

_Ring_

Whoever was calling really wanted someone to answer. They hadn't hung up yet. With a sigh, he walked down the hall, towards the phone. His footsteps were completely silent against the wooden floor. He was skilled in sneaking. When he was younger he had always hidden in wait to see his Christmas presents early. Which, never ended well.

_Ring_

Everest stood above the phone. He picked it up cautiously.

"Hello? This is the Bart-"

"Is this Agent Barton?" He was interrupted. The voice was deep and clipped. Straight to business. Ev never thought he sounded like his dad. Everyone always said he was like his mother. With his blazing red hair, hazel eyes, and killer instincts, he could easily see the resemblance.

"No. This is his son, Everest."

There was muffled mumblings on the other end of the line. The voice finally returned. "Is Agent Barton available?" Ev bit his lip. Kids were always taught to never say their parents were gone. Right now he and Anubis were the only ones at home.

"Yes. Would you like me to get him?" He smoothly lied.

"Yes. That would be good." Ev shook the phone slightly, then pressed it against his shirt. "Dad! It's for you!" He shouted. He shook the phone once more and pulled it up to his mouth once again.

"Hello. This is Clint Barton." He spoke in a slightly deeper voice than before.

"Agent, this is Maria Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D." It was a woman apparently. He couldn't tell from before. "We would like to talk to you about your children, Everest and Anubis…?"

Everest's grin widened. Jackpot. "What is it? As I believe, I am an _ex_-agent. What could you possibly want to discuss?"

"Well…" She paused. The phone static increased. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is working on a new project. I cannot release much information at this moment, but what I can tell you is this: your children are candidates for the project."

"What is this project?" He asked, his curiosity probed.

"It involves the next generation of what was known as "the Avengers Initiative." Their children."

"And why are you calling?"

"We would like to invite you and your wife and your children to an… informational meeting in New York at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new HQ." She spoke carefully.

"When is this?"

"In approximately one week. Are you interested?"

He laughed. "Absolutely."

**5.**

Tryst spun around, admiring the armor that now decorated her. It was similar to her father's, but with a few small changes. Long, fitted, grey pants tucked into black boots. A shiny metal chestplate held a flowing red cape in place. And light grey gloves adorned her hands. Long blonde hair was carefully arranged into a braid.

She stepped out of her room and hurried down the corridor, towards the Throne Room. Two Asgardians opened the grand doors and she stepped inside. Red tapestries hung from the walls and huge glass windows brilliantly displayed the scenery of Asgard. Her father sat on the majestic throne at the back of the room. A smaller throne held her mother. Tryst walked up towards the thrones and kneeled.

"All-Father, I have come at your request."

"You may rise, Daughter of Mine. You never have to kneel before me," Thor said, extending a hand. She took his hand and stood up, looking at the both of them. Her mother hadn't aged a day. And of course Thor hadn't either. In the background, she heard her 6 year old brothers running around, Zeph and Zayn. They were being rambunctious boys as always. But Tryst couldn't afford such frivolities. She was the Princess of Asgard. The goddess of lightning. Half-mortal, Half-Asgardian. And she had things to do.

"What is it that you need me to accomplish, All-father?" Thor smiled. Merely 3 years after her birth, Odin had died, leaving Thor to assume the throne. And she was sure his rule would be a long and good one.

"Tryst Thordaughter, you are the age now at which you can do many things. As you may know, since you are part Midgardian, you shall die. However, if you consent to the Trial of Idunn, you will receive immortality through the apples of Idunn." He paused, sitting himself back down in the throne. "As your mother has done. This process will take a year to complete. But when it is finished, you will be immortal. Do you so wish to take the Trial, and claim your birthright as Princess of Asgard?"

"Yes, All-Father. I wish to take the Trial. What is my quest?" She nodded her head.

Thor reached out his hand, and Mjonir flew into it. "Take Mjonir, Tryst. It will obey you now. As All-father I have no need for it. But for your quests, you shall." He handed the hammer to her. She took it. Electricity hummed through her body, like the time she had electrocuted herself as a child. "It has accepted you as its rightful owner." Her father said solemnly.

"Your quest is this: for one year you shall go to the Realm of Midgard. There you shall be its protector, just like I have done. You will work with the organization called 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' and protect the Midgardians from harm. When one year is up, you shall partake of this…" Thor picked up a small golden apple. It shone brilliantly, and Tryst wanted nothing more than to take it and eat it. But she restrained herself.

"Once you take your first bite, the immortality process will begin, and then you shall be a true Asgardian."

"I understand my quest, All-father. I am ready and willing to go." She placed Mjonir in her left hand, and her right hand pressed against her heart in a sign of allegiance.

"Before you depart, I must give you a piece of advice." Thor's normally booming voice quieted to a normal volume. "Daughter of Mine, you are not immortal yet. Do not endanger your life needlessly. I do not wish to lose you when you strive for immortality."

"I will be careful, All-Father."

The god of thunder smiled, and gave Tryst a hug. Her mother ran to her and gave her a small kiss. "Be safe, Tryst." She whispered to her daughter. "Be safe…"

**4.**

Neo sat at his desk on the 26th floor of Stark Tower, fiddling with something metallic, sharp, and dangerous. Thin wire glasses were perched at the bottom of his nose, and every once and a while he would glance over at a small book filled with mathematical equations and instructions for mechanical things.

Next to the desk was a tall, 5'11" silver robot. It looked similar to the iron man suit, only lighter and more aerodynamic. The only problem with it, was that it was missing the helmet head. Pieces of the helmet were scattered across the desk, and Neo held on to a piece of the visor.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes Master Neo?"

"Get me the configurations for the Iron Man suit version 4.1 helmet."

"Right away Sir." Almost immediately blue instructions and prints appeared on a glass screen hanging above the desk.

"Ah, that explains it…" Neo muttered as he attached some wires to the helmet's interior.

"Your mother is waiting at the door, Sir." Jarvis informed him.

"Well let her in, please." He said, not looking up from his desk. Pepper Potts walked in, heels clicking on the floor.

"Hello Neo," She smiled. Neo spun around in the moveable chair and grinned at his mom. "I brought you some food. I know you weren't planning on getting lunch any time soon." She set a plate down on the desk. An organized plate filled with potato chips, carrot sticks, and a turkey sandwich. Neo noticed the thin silver band on his mother's left hand.

"When's the wedding again?" He asked, plucking a potato chip and eating it. He wiped his hands on a white towel and resumed wiring the helmet.

"Neo…" Pepper sighed. "I've told you a thousand times. It's in 6 months." A year ago his father had finally proposed to his mother. Years of being told 'it's not good to raise Neo in a broken family' had worn Stark down. And since both his adopted mother and father were famous, it was going to be the wedding of the year.

"Okay then…" He muttered.

"Don't work too long, honey." Pepper said with a touch of worry.

"I've got to finish my suit, mom." He explained slowly. She pushed some of his dark brown hair behind his ears and sighed.

"I suppose it's only natural, having a genius for a son…"

"Mom, I'm not a genius. I'm just smart."

"What's the difference?" Pepper asked.

"Geniuses are born. It's a natural talent they have. Like dad." Neo paused, setting the visor down. "Smart people are created. I've worked my whole life to be smart. But no matter how hard I try, I'm no genius."

His adopted mom crouched down, looking into his brown eyes. "You're making an iron man suit, that's pretty genius."

"Not really. I mean, I'm just improving it. Dad's the one who drew up the plans. Made it."

She smiled. "You're still my genius."

Jarvis' cool British voice interrupted them. "Miss Potts, Master Neo, Mr. Stark is at the door. And he's allowed himself in." Neo straightened up, pushing his glasses back into place.

"Hello son," Tony Stark said, swaggering in. He gave his fiancé a quick kiss and positioned himself behind Neo. "How's the project going? Good? Good!" He didn't leave time for a reply.

"Listen, I've got an announcement to make," Stark began. Whatever announcement he had to make had to be important, if it warranted him having to tell it in person. Usually he just had Jarvis tell them. "We're expecting visitors."

"Uh, who?" Neo frowned. It was probably some rich CEO of a company that they were going to buy. That's usually who visited.

"An old friend of mine," he said with a pointed look towards Pepper. "Director Fury. And the Avengers."

**2.**

Lupe gently opened the top of the box, searching for his spare flashlight. "It has to be somewhere around here… I know I packed it when we moved three years ago…" He muttered while shuffling through the boxes. Then he caught a shimmer in the corner of his eye. He picked up a small silver pen. Emerald green writing showed the pen to belong to "Lokison." He had never seen the pen before in his life, yet his last name was on it? It looked expensive enough. Maybe he should ask his mother a question or two…

Lupe stood up, brushing dust off of his dark blue jeans. He shoved the box back into the deepest corners of the attic, pen in hand. He hopped down the stairs. "Mom?" He called out.

"Yes dear?" His mother's head popped out of her bedroom. She had aged a lot in the past few years. And still dad was gone.

"I found this pen in the attic. Did it belong to dad?" He showed the pen to his mother, who breathed deeply closing her eyes as if asleep. "Mom?" Her eyes suddenly opened.

"I didn't expect to see this here. I thought had gotten rid of it years ago…" She muttered quietly.

"What do you mean?" Lupe inquired.

His mother gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing, Lupe. Did you find the flashlight?" But something did not ring true in her words. He could sense it.

"Mom, you're lying. What is it?" Ever since he was young, he had the strange sense of knowing whenever someone was lying. But in public school, it got him in trouble as often as not. His mom bit her lip and sighed.

"It belonged to your father, yes. But he gave it to me before he…left. He said to give it to you when you were ready…"  
"What do you mean you thought you got rid of it?"

"I… threw it in the ocean before we moved. I wanted to remove all traces of your father. I should have known that it would come back…"

"How? How would something you threw into the ocean find its way into our attic?" He paused, considering his words. "That's impossible. What are you not telling me?"

His mother was shaky. She had never liked discussing about his father. And now he needed some answers. "Your father was a good man, remember that Lupe. No matter what anyone says, he was a good man…"

"What?! What is it that you aren't telling me?!" He felt his temper rising. His grip on the pen grew tighter. Suddenly, the pen grew in size, transforming itself into a three foot long pole. It grew to be an inch thick, and the silver turned into a brilliant gold. The green ink globbed together to turn into an orb of brilliant blue. It hovered and settled itself at the top of the staff, which was razor sharp and jagged with sword-like points.

And that wasn't the only difference.

Lupe felt like he was being frozen. Every part of him grew cold, deep blue rocketed up his hands, spiraling over his veins, then settled themselves deep inside his skin before finally dissolving. His eyes grew sharp and clearer. He could see the faintest of white lines surrounding everything. The glow of his staff was unbearably bright. His eyes weren't just green, but a bold emerald. He fell to his knees, unable to take the strain any longer.

His clothes had changed too. His white shirt and jeans were gone, replaced by long black trousers and a simple green shirt. But a long black trench-like jacket covered his chest. Yellow bands settled at his cuffs and across his chest area. And finally a deep green cape floated and latched onto his shoulders. He took deep breaths. He was super charged. But so cold, he felt like ice.

His mother slowly stepped away towards the wall. "You… you look just like him…" she whispered. "You look just like your father…"

He spoke with caution. "Mother, I think it's time you told me… who my father really is…"

**7.**

Anubis pulled on the jacket and stepped outside, assaulted by a wave of chilly autumn air. She was thankful her hair was short, otherwise her hair would have flown every which way. "Come on, you lazy butt!" She called in the house. With a grumble, her brother walked outside.

"I don't see why we have to _walk _to Stark Tower. I can drive, you know." He muttered angrily. A large black windbreaker was pulled over his casual shirt'n'jeans look. Warm brown eyes looked at her. He was lucky enough to have normal looking features. Unlike her… interesting eyes.

"Because, you've been sitting and watching TV for the past week! You need more exercise." She frowned, stepping down the block towards the looming skyscraper that was the tower. "You're just lucky we live downtown."

"Oy- I just earned my black belt, give me a break! I deserve a rest!" He complained, running fingers through his short red hair. A few snowflakes drifted on to Anubis' jacket. She wiped them off irritably.

"Yeah, but you've gone too far. I saw you sitting on the couch, eating the crumbs from an empty bag of potato chips, watching _Days of Our Lives _on noon-TV!" Anubis laughed.

"Oh, like you've done such a hard workout lately?"

Anubis stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Yes actually. And I happen to be trying out for our school's volleyball team!" Everest burst out laughing.

"You? Volleyball?! Never! I could see you doing… competitive archery or knife throwing, or murder… but not volleyball!" He scrunched up his face, sticking out his tongue. So attractive. Well, that was her older brother for you.

"Last time I checked, Einstein, 'murder' was not a sport." They had just passed a major street, which meant only 20 more blocks to go. Everest sighed overdramatically.

"We'll be dead before we even arrive!" He mock fainted, into some sort of 'trust fall' faint. "Catch me!" He cried out, heading towards the pavement. Anubis didn't catch him. In fact, she didn't even blink an eye. He yelped as he hit the ground.

"Well, I know that I can't trust you." He scowled, wiping the dirt of the sidewalk off of him. For the next 5 blocks, Anubis enjoyed the rare miracle that was her brother's silence. She kicked a small grey stone on to the street, watching it make small indentations in the light snow.

What was the deal anyway? It was snowing. In September. In New York. And actually, the past few years had been unusually cold. But now it was even more frigid. Although, she enjoyed the cold. It was numbing and full of forgetfulness. But most importantly, it led to crackling fires and the warmth of hot cocoa. Every girl had their weaknesses. Hers was hot chocolate.

Finally, Everest couldn't bear the silence any longer. "So…. Who do you think will be there?" He asked casually. He had regained his pride, and his swagger. He looked ridiculous.

Anubis thought quickly. "Well, I know there will be Stark's kid, Neo. It's his house. I'd also imagine that whoever Steve's kid is will be there. Who knows if Hulk had one, and it's pretty hard to tell what Thor would have done," she mused.

"Hmhmmm…" Everest said unintelligibly. Anubis turned around to see him shoving a large piece of gum in his mouth. "Mhmmmhhhhgghh…" he said, trying to chew the gum into submission. By the looks of it, it wasn't going well. It was a lost cause. Her brother was an idiot.

**3.**

Amelia sat on the bike, whizzing through the streets of the small suburban area. Well, as close to suburbs that New York could ever have. Behind her, her father casually biked. She furiously pedaled, getting steadily faster and faster. The top of the hill approached. Finally, she hit the top. And it was all downhill from there.

Feet no longer pedaling, she turned her head. "Just try and catch up!" She shouted back at her dad. He grinned.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" He shouted at her good naturedly. With a grin, she moved her gaze to the sidewalk in front of her. Her bike was pretty new, and the ride felt incredibly smooth. It was a bright blue and silver. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind rush past her. Her hair was whipped back, beating against her neck. A thick jacket was zipped up, protecting her from most of the elements. She almost felt like she was flying. For the briefest of moments, she was soaring in the clouds. The ground was forgotten.

Then her dad zipped past her. Her eyes flicked open and with a grunt of surprise, she biked after him. He slowed down to let her catch up. "Hey, let's stop up here," He said, nodding towards a small bench in the park.

They pulled their bikes up and stopped them, and Amy grabbed her bottled water. She took a quick sip, not being too thirsty. The Cap grabbed a seat at the bench, and Amelia sat down next to him. "What's up?" She asked. He looked a bit surprised.

"What? Why do you think something's up?" He said, a little confused.

"Because you stopped our bike ride early." She pulled her hood up on her jacket, obscuring her light brown hair from view. "We always ride for 25 minutes before stopping." She glanced at her watch. "It's only been 15. You're an awful liar, dad."

He laughed a little. "I just wanted to talk about something. And see… if you're interested."

"Oh, what?" She asked, screwing the cap back on the bottled water. Clouds were gathering up ahead. It would probably be raining soon. It was bad enough being cold, but she couldn't stand snow. Well, mainly it was her father.

"Well, I got a message from Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. the other day…"

"Your old boss?" She inquired.

He pulled off his biking helmet-that meant things were getting serious. Her dad never unclipped his helmet until the ride was done. She had the sinking feeling that this would take a while. He looked a lot like her. Same light blue eyes, same light blonde hair, same fair skin. She had his build too, with a thin body type and muscles. She could bike for hours if she wanted to, and wouldn't even be very tired.

"That's the one. He… he asked if you would be interested in joining S.H.I.E.L.D., I said that I'd talk to you about it before giving him any sure answer." She bit her lip.

"What do you think about it?"

"I think…" He paused. "That if you want to, you should. Serving your country can be a gift. You know about my past. But it's not something that you should be forced into."

She closed her eyes. "What would I be doing there?"

"That's the thing. They're… reforming the Avengers."

"What?! I thought they were over. For good. After the incident…" she trailed off. It was still a sensitive subject to her father.

"Well, not exactly reforming. The Director says that this Initiative will have the children of the Avengers instead. It's just something to think about. If you are interested." Captain Rogers stood up, buckling the helmet back on. He hopped back on his bike. Amy jumped back on hers, but didn't leave just yet.

She had some thinking to do.

**6.**

"Yvonne!" Bane shouted, throwing a spare pair of clothes in the backpack. It was jet black and compact, just barely big enough to hold all of Bane's supplies. He finger combed through his curly brown hair, giving it a tousle. Today was a pretty important day. He had chocolate brown eyes and was tall- three years ago he grew even larger then Yvonne!

"Yes?" Came the reply.

"Where is my serum?" He rifled through the drawers in his bedroom. It was gone.

"You ran out the last time, Bane." She said, walking into his room. Bane knew Yvonne wasn't his real mother. It was rather obvious. She was more European looking, and had dark black hair and blue eyes. She was considerably shorter than him also. He never called her mother, even though she had always cared for him. "We have to stop by S.H.I.E.L.D. before going to the tower."

Bane sighed. He picked up the backpack and slung it over one shoulder. "Please don't tell me that they'll need the sedative this time…" He winced, closing one eye.

"I'm sorry Bane. But they need to…" she sat down on his bed, putting an arm on his shoulder. He shrugged her off. "There's too many variables. They can't risk a sudden transformation."

"Let's go. I want to get this over with."

The car ride wasn't long. It was completely silent, not even the radio was turned on. Bane listened to himself breathing and tapped out the beat of his heart. He tried to keep himself calm. It was exceedingly important to stay calm. That's what the doctors and scientists always told him. He was pretty good at staying emotionless, but even he had accidents.

But most people's accidents didn't end in such massive destruction. As in, towns and buildings being destroyed. He opened the car door and walked into the building with Yvonne. She used her ID to get inside, and led him into the all-too familiar room. It was completely white. Blindingly white.

He sat down on the chair in the middle of the room. Yvonne left with a reassuring smile. _Count to ten… _he reminded himself. He closed his eyes. He heard the door open and close. His eyes still remained closed.

He felt the sharp sting of the needle in his skin. Bane's eyes closed even tighter. The pain faded, and a bag was pressed into his hand. He gripped it until the door opened and closed again. Suddenly, he was perfectly calm. All emotions were purged. Although it made everything easier on him, he hated it. He hated not being able to feel anything.

He hated being a monster.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I actually cut this chapter in half, since it was getting too long. The updates are far apart, since this is a LOT of writing per chapter. At least it is for me. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, you guys are awesome! Next chapter will be coming whenever I can write it. -_- It might just be "part 2" of this chapter. But here's the update! ~Jazzy

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

**2. **

Lupe sat at the edge of a small grey bridge. His legs dangled off the edge. He still wore the ceremonial robes that had magically fit themselves to him. He desperately tried to contain himself. Beside him was a small suitcase, filled with clothes and other necessities.

_"He was a what?" He had stormed over to his mother. _

_"A god. A Norse god…. The god of mischief and lies…" she had smiled ruefully. _

He ran his fingers through his short black hair, chewing slightly on his lip. He knew what he had to do now. He had to find his father. Find Loki of Asgard. It seemed a bit hard to believe at first, that his father could be a god. Or rather, an alien. But he realized that it had to be true.

_"What does that make me?" He had added, quieter._

_"I'm not sure…" His mother walked across the room. "Loki always said you had a great purpose. You are half-human, half-god."_

_"God of what exactly?"_

_"I don't know."_

That was a priority. Immediately after the conversation, Lupe had packed up his belongings and left. He couldn't stand to be in the house any longer. He was 17 years old, it was nearing that time anyway. He tried to forget the image of his crying mother. But she had lied to him. Refused to tell him about his destiny. Was that even a lie? Omitting things could be just as bad as lying.

"I need to know what I can do…" He muttered. Instantly he felt something appear in his hands.

A tattered old book… It was dusty and old and smelled suspiciously of cobwebs and mothballs. How had it gotten there? He wiped off the cover. It looked like some old journal. Ink spilled over the front page.

Lupe stood himself up off the bridge. He felt cold again, and the book was mysteriously chilly as well. He cautiously opened it up to the second page._ 'To my son' _it read in hastily applied writing. Lupe stiffened. _'I regret that I cannot tell you this in person. But if you are receiving this book, it means that I have been detained somehow. And you are now at the age at which you are able to learn from me. (I hope you can read by now…)' _Was this some sort of sick joke? And what was he supposed to be learning? Why did his father think that he would learn it before he could read anyway?

Lupe walked away from the bridge, picking up the duffel bag and hoisting it over his shoulder. He dug in his pocket and pulled out 2 hundred dollar bills. His life savings. He was far from rich, he and his mother had fallen on harder times than most. Perhaps there was some sort of motel around here?

He rented a room when he arrived at the nearest motel. It was dirty and of dubious cleanliness, but it was cheap. He couldn't expect much quality. After all, it was a cheap motel in the middle of California. He only planned on spending one night in town. As soon as possible, he wanted to leave. The man handed him a key, and Lupe handed him one of the bills. The man gave him some bills in return, which Lupe shoved in his pocket without checking the change.

He walked over to the room and unlocked it. The wallpaper was peeling and it smelled suspiciously of Pine-Sol. The bed was sloppily made, and he threw his suitcase on top of it. A plastic chair rested in one corner. He sat himself down and resumed his reading.

_'Hopefully I have already told you of your Heritage. But, assuming the worst (because the worst always happens to me), I will give you a recap. My name is Loki Laufeyson, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.' _

_And a real superiority complex_, Lupe thought with a snicker. He continued.

_'I am the son of the Frost Giant King, Laufey, though I was adopted and raised on Asgard. My adopted parents were none other than the royals of Asgard, the enemies of the Frost Giants. Their King, Odin, lied to me about my true parentage, raising me as his own. When the truth came out, he struggled to hide it and justify his actions. My adopted brother Thor is still under the delusion that we are related. He has always been favored in court, though he has the intelligence of a piece of brick. He is the god of thunder.'_

"God of Thunder…" Lupe repeated softly.

_'Now I, as you may know, am the god of mischief. Also called the god of lies, trickery, chaos, deceit and so forth. These titles tend to reflect a very negative image on me. But it is something that I have learned to live with. And you shall have to learn to live with it as you are my son. Now I do not yet know your birthright and gifts, but I shall attempt to figure it out as you grow older. Usually one finds out their gifts when they are just reaching maturity (around 100 years old) but since you are part mortal, it will probably happen sooner.'_

"Yes, but what ARE my gifts?" Lupe muttered angrily. The writing was just beginning, but he couldn't look at it any longer. This was providing more questions than answers. He was about ready to throw the book at the wall. Just another set of impossible questions his father had left him. He closed the journal and set it with his stuff. "I just can't stand this!" He yelled, throwing his hands into the air. He felt his rage boiling over. His life was already pretty awful, and now he had to believe that he was the son of a Norse god? "What do you expect me to do?!"

As soon as he spoke, the chair he had previously sat on rose into the air. It shook slightly, but remained three feet off the ground. He stared at it, unblinking, one eyebrow raised.

"Well that was unexpected."

**7.**

"It's locked." Anubis said scowling. The large iron doors wouldn't open.

"Open Sesame?" Everest grinned, shaking the handles. Nothing happened. Anubis glared at her brother. "Hey, it was worth a shot," he laughed.

She mentally facepalmed. "Identify yourself." A voice crackled from a small box on the door.

"Anubis and Everest Barton," she spoke into the box, not trusting her brother. He would probably break it, or say something stupid, like 'Ivonna Dance.' The doors clicked, and automatically opened.

"I guess we're expected." She shrugged, walking inside. The building was almost completely lit up by the large windows. The entry room was large and dotted with sleek couches and carpet. A welcome desk was at the center, which had a young woman sitting at it. She glanced up at the two of them and nodded towards the elevator. Anubis walked past the desk to the elevator hallway. She had no idea what button to press.

For some reason, her brother was oddly silent. Which was nothing like him. She clicked the up button, which lit up. But there wasn't much of a wait, since the elevator zoomed down to their level and opened its door in less than 10 seconds. Everest barged in, and Anubis followed cautiously.

"What floor do you think it is?" She asked Everest as the doors closed. The elevator hummed quietly in anticipation. Her brother shrugged.

Just then a robotic voice sounded in the elevator. "Avengers Initiative is to meet on floor 24" it said. "I will set the elevator to go there." It had a slightly British accent. She looked at Everest, eyes wide. The button for floor 24 lit up, and the elevator rocketed upstairs.

Just 30 thrilling seconds later, the doors opened. Everest walked out first, but only after he had smoothed his red hair back. The room was a big one, with a completely glass wall overlooking the city. The walls were painted light grey and bright red. There was a small mini-kitchen to the left, a hallway to the right, and in the center was a huge living room. She noticed a large wooden meeting table that had unceremoniously been placed next to some black couches.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Everest sang. Anubis elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Ouch." He frowned. "That was uncalled for!"

"You're a horrible singer," she justified. Suddenly she heard a crashing noise, and a teenage boy walked in from the hallway. He had brown hair that was exceedingly messy. Thin wire glasses were perched on his nose. He was slightly tanned. He wore a simple blue tee shirt and cargo pants. With surprise she noticed a faint light blue glow coming from his chest.

"Uh, hello…." The boy said warily. "I didn't think anyone would be coming for a few more minutes…" he glanced at a mechanical watch on his wrist. "I'm Neo Stark." He walked closer to offer a hand.

Everest smiled a little and shook his hand. "I'm Everest Barton, and this is my sister, Anubis."

"I can introduce myself you know," Anubis shoved her brother out of the way. Neo had a strong handshake, but he didn't really seem… focused.

"So…." Everest drawled as she dropped the handshake. "Why do you have an arc reactor? That doesn't seem like a genetic issue…"

"Oh my god, Everest. You can't just ask people why they have an arc reactor." Anubis said with a sigh.

"No, no. It's fine." Neo said sympathetically. "I was adopted, actually." Everest promptly shut up. "I was born with a heart issue. This arc reactor keeps my heart from stopping. I owe Tony Stark my life." He grinned a little and wrinkled his nose. He was slightly cute when he did that.

"That's pretty cool," Anubis replied, glaring at her brother, silently willing him to keep his mouth shut. "Do you know who else will be here?"

Neo paused. "I'm pretty sure that Captain America's daughters gonna be here, you two, and…" He looked furtively around. "I think I heard that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bringing Banner's kid."

"He had a kid?" Everest exclaimed in disbelief.

"Apparently." Anubis said dryly. "Well this will make an interesting party."

"Best party around. Want some Doritos?" Neo offered a bowl with a laugh.

**3.**

"It is _freezing _outside!" Amelia exclaimed, hugging the scarf to her body. She wore a thick winter coat on top. "It is way too cold for New York in the fall," she complained. She stepped out of the car door and shut it quietly behind her. Her father walked out on the other side.

Amelia approached the large doors of Stark Tower cautiously. Her father, Captain America, stood off to the side. "I'll see you in," he politely opened the door for her. She stepped inside the building as the warm air rushed into her face.

A secretary sat tiredly at the welcome desk. From the sound and pattern of her mouse clicks, the woman was probably playing spider solitaire. _Good to know the employees of Stark Industries are hard working! _She thought with a chuckle.

"I'm Ameli-"

"Rogers." The lady said absent-mindedly. "You are expected on floor 24." Captain gave Amy a quick hug.

"You'll be ok, right?" He asked nervously.

"I'm fine, dad."

"Ok. Well if you need _anything _just give me a call on your cell…" He paused. "You do have your portable telephone, correct?"

"Yes, dad. And it is called a 'cellphone.'"

"Is it fully charged?"  
Amy sighed as she opened up her bag and pulled out her phone. "80% dad, I'll be fine." With one last reluctant hug, the Captain exited the building. Amy walked over to the elevator, her sneakers squeaking loudly with every step. She turned around in time to see her father waving enthusiastically 'goodbye.' And with one last motion of 'call me' he hopped in the car. She clicked the elevator button and stepped inside. Amy hummed quietly to myself as the elevator climbed up to the 24th floor. She had a faint memory of being here before, years ago, when she was younger.

Her dad had taken her with him during some sort of S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting. She remembered sitting outside the meeting room drawing in a spiral notebook. But hadn't even seen Stark's son, Neo. The door opened soundlessly into the room. The room had transformed from the dull meeting room it had been before.

"Hello!" A tall boy with dull red hair walked over to me. "You're Captain's daughter, right?" He said with a smile. Amy shook his hand, and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. I'm Everest Barton." He said it slightly seductively. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. Who did he think he was?

"Must you flirt with every new girl you meet?" A girl with light brown hair shoved Everest out of the way. Amy assumed they were related from the casual banter. "I apologize. I'm this oaf's sister, Anubis. Our parents were Black Widow and Hawkeye."

"Nice to meet you," she grinned, shaking the girl's hand. Anubis wore a thin strappy tank top and jeans. A jacket was discarded on the ground next to her. How on earth was she not freezing? Besides, if Amy had even tried to wear a shirt that revealing, her father would kill her. "I'm Amelia Rogers, but please call me Amy. Everyone does."

Then she noticed the boy over by the couches. He hopped towards her and waved. "I'm Neo Stark." He said quietly, she could barely understand the words he had said. "Can I get you anything?" He added. "A drink? Snacks? We've got practically everything here. And even if we didn't, Jarvis could find a way to get it to us…" Jarvis was their computer, right? Amy wasn't quite sure.

"Something to drink would be great, I'm actually kinda thirsty." Amy replied bashfully. She took a seat on a chair. The view was incredible. She could see all the trees and streets in the city. There was even a view of the Empire State Building.

"Ooh, I'll have something too!" Anubis added in, before sitting next to Amy on a couch.

"Everest? Anything?" Neo said, looking up from the refrigerator.

"A soda'd be great."

"Coming right up." Neo stepped away from the kitchen clutching 4 cans. He set one in front of Everest, who was lounging around the door. He then set the remaining 3 on coasters on the coffee table. Anubis lunged for her coke and opened it, listening to the fizz of the soft drink.

Amy cautiously took her soda, tapping the top before opening it. Tentatively she took a sip. It was fizzy and bubbly and tickled down her throat. She coughed and set it down.

"Don't like it?" Everest asked her with a quizzical look.

"I'm not really a soda person," she stuttered, looking remorsefully at the drink on the table.

**5.**

Tryst felt like she was about to die. Wind pressed against her skin and tightly encircled her. Her vision was filled with swirling colors and rainbows. She breathed heavily, not able to get much air. The bubble that surrounded her was compressing. "I. Hate. Bifrost. Travel." She whispered as she felt herself catapulting towards earth.

By the looks of it, she was going to land on a building. "Great." She muttered, clenching her teeth and bracing for impact. She landed with a thud and fell through the roof. With incredible luck, she had managed to land on a bed of some sort. She looked up. Pieces of the roof had fallen all in the room. Dust clouded the air.

She stood herself up and brushed drywall off of her armor. "I must remember never to travel by Bifrost ever again…" Tryst glanced around. "This does not appear to be the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D." she mused. Her original target had been the main base in New York. But she highly doubted this was it.

"What are you doing in my room?" Tryst turned around to see a boy staring at her, eyes wide. He had slightly-long black hair and strikingly green eyes. And…. He was wearing ceremonial robes from Asgard! How fortunate to land where another of her kind was!

"A fellow Asgardian!" Tryst exclaimed, running over to him. She patted his shoulders, removing the pieces of ceiling tile from his robes. A hovering chair fell to the ground. The boy's face was filled with surprise and fear. "Please, tell me your name, for we have not yet met. Oh, I did not expect to meet another Asgardian on Midgard!" She smiled. He looked at her strangely.

"…..Asgard?" He whispered. "You're from… Asgard?"

"Why yes, did I not mention it before?" She asked, unsure of his meaning.

"I'm actually looking for someone from Asgard…"

"Oh! Tell me their name, and I shall try and recall them! For I know many Asgardians."

"Um…" The boy paused, flicking hair behind his ear and biting his lip. "His name was Loki… Loki Laufeyson." Trysts' face paled. "You know him?"

"Why do you seek him?" She asked.

"It's a long story. Who are you?"

"Answer my question first," she commanded.

He sighed, presumably weighing his options. Finally he spoke up. "I think he's my father," he admitted.

"Why this is joyous news! For that means you are my cousin! I was not even aware that I had a cousin!" She hugged him. He choked a little as she squeezed him. She let go and brushed him off once more. "I am Tryst Thordaughter, princess of Asgard and future ruler. I am the goddess of lightning. And it is indeed wonderful news! Why have I not heard of you earlier cousin?"

"I just found out the news today… so you're Thor's daughter?" He questioned. She nodded.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, what is your name, cousin?"  
"Lupe." He paused, swiping the ceiling off of the bed. "Oh man, I am so being charged extra for this…"

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I know, I know. FAST UPDATE. I'm crazy, yeah. You can thank me later, when I don't update for a week or whatever. This chapter is a bit shorter then the others, because it uses some different POVs. Oh and whoops, I might have accidentally said Lupe's name was pronounced "loo-peh" instead of "loop" way back in chapter 1. It IS pronounced "loop." FYI.

Thanks to all the reviewers. By the way, if you want to draw any fan art for this fic, I'd love it. I actually have a lot of drawings of the characters that I might share with y'all, if you ask nicely. And review a lot. xD

I thought you all might enjoy this, I put together a list of everyone's theme songs! Listen to them if you want to. They're all great songs by great bands!

Everest Barton: It's Time, Imaginedragons  
Anubis Barton: Bulletproof, La Roux  
Bane Banner: Cray Button, Family Force 5  
Tryst Thordaughter: Lights, Ellie Golding  
Lupe Lokison: How Far We've Come, Matchbox 20  
Neo Stark: Come Sail Away, Styx  
Amelia Rogers: Dog Days Are Over, Florence and The Machine

**Chapter 3: Fury and Other 'Issues'**

**In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Secret Base…**

Fury stared at the computer monitors silently. Footsteps echoed behind him. "Director Fury?" It was Maria Hill.

"Yes?" He turned around. She had aged considerably in the last 19 years. And according to her file, she was planning on retiring soon. Fury frowned.

"Sir, I have the files you requested." She walked over and set a thick folder on his desk. It was actually 6 thick files all combined into one even larger file.

"That will be all." He dismissed her and turned back to the file. He picked each one up and glanced inside. Each one contained all the information gathered about the next generation of Avengers. Fury paused, noticing one extra file.

He pulled it out. "Lokison…" He muttered in a half-question. There was barely any information there. Where had this file come from? He hadn't known that the god of mischief had a son… He spun around, ready to ask Agent Hill about it, but came face to face with another Agent instead.

Agent Knox was a recent addition to the team. He was 25 years old and a promising agent. He had specialized in hand to hand combat and was the top percentage of his initiative class. Fury expected him to be his replacement. Just like Agent Hill, he was getting too old for this job. "Sir." He spoke quickly. "I have some information you want to know."  
"Spit it out then," Fury said.

"As you may have noticed, there was a 7th file," he paused. Fury nodded impatiently. "About Lupe Lokison… we have been monitoring him for only a few years. You see sir, they've been exceedingly hard to track, but once we found them, it was relatively easy to maintain. Nothing happened in the household for years. We were always expecting Loki to show up, but he never did."

"And his file was in the new Initiative why?"

"Because sir… something happened. Our scouts have reported an unusual occurrence around the house. Apparently less than a day ago, there was a small earthquake like phenomena around the Lokison household. Then Lupe ran away from the house."  
"Have you been keeping tabs on him? And has it occurred to you that this boy might have some of his father's skills? Or even his father's ambition?"

"Yessir, our agents have been tracking him. We have taken all the necessary precautions. But that's not the strangest part."  
The Agent brushed his hair back and cleared his throat. "You understand how little information we have had on Tryst Thordaughter since they moved to Asgard, sir?" Fury blinked his single eye. "Well sir…. She's back."  
"Thor as well?"

"Not that we understand. You see, the bifrost opened for just a few minutes. It originally was headed for the agreed Bifrost travel portal in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HQ, but it relocated at the last second. To California." He looked cautiously at Fury. "And it centered at the motel where Lupe was located."  
"You fear the worst?"

"Who knows what may happen with the two. We have no idea what knowledge the boy possesses and what powers he may control. Neither do we know the extent of the girl's. I recommend an immediate action."  
"What action do you suggest?" Fury coughed.

Agent Knox shuffled the files he was holding nervously. "I recommend an immediate force to go to the motel and to, if possible, peacefully relocate both Asgardians to our secure holding facility in New York for questioning. They may even consent to join the Initiative."  
"And if peacefully doesn't work?"

"I recommend using tranqs or tazers if not."

Fury thought for a moment. This could be a good test for the young Agent. And the idea of having two demi-gods on his side was a tempting idea. If it all went poorly, he could always blame the Agent. "Okay Agent Knox. You have my permission. Do not disappoint me."  
"Thank you sir."

"Is there anything else?"

Agent Knox frowned and shook his head. He started to walk off but stopped. "One more thing, sir. I almost forgot…. Agent Yvonne? She's missing."

**Somewhere In Space…**

Loki sat silently on the singular bench in the room. He closed his eyes, trying to feel something. Anything at all. Earlier it had been so clear, so present. A burst of magic and power. Clarity had flooded his senses. And he had known at that moment what had happened to his son. It had happened a bit later than expected, but Lupe had done admirably considering the absence of his father. Loki involuntarily flinched.

The important thing was that he had escaped. His son's connection with his powers had allowed Loki to finally escape from the Realm of the Chitari. He had been held captive there for years. After his (relatively easy) flight from Asgard, he had fallen into the vengeful hands of the Chitari. Who demanded payment for his failure. It was not easy to injure a god, but the Chitari had done so.

But somehow Lupe had allowed him to escape. By discovering his identity, Loki had his powers restored and the bond between them was concreted into place. But after escaping from the Chitari Realm, his powers were fading. He needed to see his son. Maybe by making contact, he could receive his powers back- in full.

Which brought him to his next train of thought. What was the boy's inheritance? He had to be the god of something… but of what? Loki remembered when Lupe was a toddler. Lupe was able to see straight into Loki's mind. If he saw what Loki thought he saw, the boy would have had nightmares for years. The pain and torture the god of mischief had endured would mentally scar anyone.

So the boy was powerful. Loki had to contain this soon. If he fell into the wrong hands… Well he could be used for deadly purposes. And as much as Loki wanted vengeance on others and destruction of Midgard, he couldn't let his son be used. He had to warn him. Warn him of the Avengers.

He saw a blinding white flash in his eyes. He was looking at a destroyed hotel room. A blonde girl stood in the rubble, excitement in her young eyes. California. Loki stood up, channeling what little power he had left. He had to go. Now.

**6.**

Bane stood in front of the unopened door. He didn't want to step inside just yet. Who knew what the other Avengers would think of him? He could hear laughter and chatting inside. That was good, right? Bane had never really gotten the opportunity to interact with any other children his age. It was always just Yvonne and him, in the apartment.

Bane even had a private tutor, so he never had to go to public or private school. S.H.I.E.L.D. was just too afraid of Bane losing control of his emotions. So they drugged him up with sedative. If any emotion was felt strongly, it would trigger the transformation. Bane shuddered.

_Maybe I should just go back and tell Yvonne I couldn't do it… _he thought dismally. _No, you can't. She would want you to give it a shot. _If anyone could understand what Bane felt like, it would be these kids. It was decided then. He would go in and talk.

He pushed open the door and reflexively closed his eyes. "Helllllooooo…?" A voice rang. Bane opened his eyes to see a red haired boy staring at him.

"Yup, I told you he'd be here, An, you owe me 5 bucks!" The boy spun around and said to a light brown haired girl. She stuck out her tongue.

"You said no such thing, and you are NOT getting my money!"

"Ladies, ladies, let's keep calm here," another girl said with a grin.

"I am NOT a girl!" The boy frowned.

"Um, let's go say hi to our newest arrival, yes?" Another boy with glasses said. "Hullo, I'm Neo Stark." The boy gave a smile and extended his hand. Bane narrowed his eyes and shook hands.

"I'm Amelia Rogers," the second girl waved. Bane gave a little wave back.

"I'm Anubis-"

"I'm Everest-" the red haired boy and the brown haired girl said at the same time. They turned to face each other and glared. "Barton."

"Uh hi," Bane said quietly. The rush of the names and the fast dialogue were hard to keep up with. "I'm Bane… Bane Banner…."  
"So you're the Hulk's son?" Amelia stood up and walked over.

"Not really." It was kind of complicated. And Bane wasn't really sure he wanted to elaborate.

"What do you mean, 'not really?'" Everest asked, taking a sip of some soda. Bane could already tell that the boy was going to be the difficult one in the group.

"I mean, I've never met him before."

"But he's your father, right?" This time from Anubis.

"Not really."  
"C'mon man, you're confusing me. Give me a straight answer here. If he isn't your dad, what is he?" Everest said, spinning himself around in a roller chair.

"I'm uh," he fidgeted. "I'm his clone I guess."  
"REALLY? That's so cool!" Everest exclaimed. Anubis elbowed him sharply in the stomach. Suddenly, Bane's communicator buzzed. He picked it up from his pocket and flipped it open.

"Bane here." The communicator had been given to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep in touch with them and Yvonne. They only used it for emergencies. This couldn't be good.

"Bane, when's the last time you saw Yvonne?" he couldn't recognize the voice, the sound quality was awful. But the person knew him.

"About 10 minutes ago, why? She dropped me off at the Tower."  
"I'm not sure I should t-"

"She's the closest thing I have to a mother, tell me what's going on." Bane said grimly.

"Don't get emotional about this. It's not good news." The voice crackled.

"I can't really get emotional right now," Bane gestured. "You used the sedative just half an hour ago." This was definitely not good.

"…She went missing."

"What?! What do you mean, she 'went missing?' I saw her 10 minutes ago!" Bane breathed heavily. The other kids looked at him with confusion. Everest awkwardly tried to start a conversation, but everyone was more interested in what Bane was saying.

"Her communicator is dead, her tracker became disabled, and she never checked back in with S.H.I.E.L.D. after dropping you off. We found her car abandoned underneath the local bridge."

"I-Is that it?"

"I'm afraid so. Just thought you ought to know." Then the person hung up and the line went dead. Bane closed the communicator slowly, breathing even heavier. He had to regulate his breathing. Feelings of panic, worry, and disbelief surrounded him. No, he couldn't surrender to them. Besides, it couldn't happen. He was sedated.

He pulled the new bag of pills out of his pockets and swallowed one just in case. He couldn't lose control here. Not with all the people around him. He felt his heart rate slowing down. Why? Why would Yvonne leave him?

It wasn't like her at all. She would have discussed this earlier with him. Unless she was taken… No. He couldn't afford to think like that. She was fine. Maybe she just needed a break. Bane closed his eyes tightly, holding on to the feeling of numbness. He would be safe as long as he didn't feel. Emotions would only hurt him.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update. I knew this would happen. xD I was working all weekend and had no time to write. So shorter chapter. I promise the next chapter will be EXTRA long for ya! PLEASE REVIEW! ~Jazzy

**Chapter 4: Two Rather Irritated Demi-Gods**

**2.**

"Why are you here?" Lupe asked the strange intruder. Who apparently was his cousin. They looked nothing alike. While he had dark hair, pale skin, and a lithe body, this girl had blonde hair, tanned skin, and muscles to rival any body builder. She wore this ridiculous smile on her face, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had just fallen through the roof.

"Well I believe that your presence has affected the bifrost, sending me to your location instead of the int-" she began.

"No. I mean why are you on Earth?" He frowned. "You have your own planet." _That I have yet to hear very much about. _For being his 'home planet' Lupe knew next to nothing about Asgard. An unfortunate side effect of being estranged from your father.

"Well cousin, I have been given a quest," she paused, looking at him expectantly. What did she expect him to say? He didn't know anything about Asgardian customs.

"Um, congrats?" He said awkwardly. She flashed him another smile.

"And this quest involves my presence here on Midgard. It's only my fourth time here. I have not yet grown used to the Midgardian ways…" she closed her eyes and chuckled.

"Could you tell me about my father?" Lupe asked quietly.

"I admit that I do not know much," Tryst admitted. "My father does not enjoy speaking of his brother." Lupe nodded. "I know that many years ago my father was banished to Midgard. During that time, your father found out about his true heritage. He was driven insane and tried to destroy Jotunheim." Lupe frowned a little. Was Jotunheim the realm of the Frost Giants? Tryst continued, unaware of Lupe's reaction. "Loki sent a destroyer to kill my father, but my father reclaimed his powers and saved Midgard. He then went back to Asgard to confront Loki. There was… fighting. And your father fell off the Rainbow Bridge into space. They all mourned for his loss."

"Then what?"

"Loki found himself in Midgard. He tried to take over the world," Lupe's eyes filled with shock. Why? "He killed many people but was stopped by a group of heroes called the 'Avengers' that included my father. My father took him back to Asgard, where he was imprisoned. But then… not even a year later… he escaped. No one knows where he went. My father always suspected Midgard," Tryst looked at him carefully. "and I suppose he was correct."

"But Loki left us. He left me and my mother… I never really even knew him."

Tryst shrugged. "I know the Avengers searched for him but never found him. Something else must have called him away…" Memories flashed in Lupe's vision. Torture and pain, suffering and aliens. His father couldn't have left willingly.

"Are you going to look for him?" Tryst asked, shattering Lupe's thoughts.

"I don't know," Lupe closed his eyes. "I don't know if I even want to find him anymore… It's just that… my whole life's been a lie. And maybe when I find my father, he won't be the person I hoped he would be. He'll be some evil figure, shrouded in power and delusion. I just want the father I always imagined…"

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Tryst set a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I know he loves you."  
"How?" Lupe pulled her hand away. "How would you know such a thing?" He half-shouted. "Have you asked him? Have you even met him?!" Lupe could feel the ground shaking underneath him. What had he done now? Dust filled the air.

And for the second time that evening, an Asgardian fell into the room.

Well, this time it wasn't so much falling, but a teleportation. Faint mist appeared then rapidly dissolved, leaving a dark figure in its place. And at once, Lupe knew exactly who this person was. There was no mistaking the resemblance… it was his father.

He was shorter then Lupe expected. He was roughly 6'1" with long raven black hair, like Lupe's own. Mischievous emerald eyes contrasted against pale skin. He wore ceremonial robes, not unlike the ones Lupe had adorned. But the robes were dirty and old. And there were lines of exhaustion under his eyes.

"No son, she hasn't asked me. But you can ask me now."

**5.**

The last thing Tryst expected on Midgard was to find her insane uncle. Of course Thor never did like to mention his brother, but the court was ever talking about the god of mischief. She knew exactly what Loki had done. And how Loki felt about Thor. She wouldn't be surprised if he hated her too.

While her father was all muscles, Loki was stick-thin, just like his son. But he had magic and Thor could barely fly. Tryst took a step back from Loki, who was concentrating on Lupe.

"Hello… father." Lupe said stiffly. Loki walked towards his son, brushing off his shoulders. Lupe tore his father's hands away. "Don't touch me," he commanded, knitting his eyebrows together.

Loki looked a bit hurt. But he nodded. "I understand. I've been gone for a long time… too long. And I can't stay long…"

"Why did you come here anyway?" Lupe shouted harshly. Tryst flinched.

"I was finally able to. I would have come before, but I was un-"

"Oh sure. Like I can trust the god of lies to tell the truth!" Lupe interrupted. Loki chuckled a little.

"I see you've found the book…" He turned around and looked curiously at Tryst. "And the daughter of Thor has found you…" She felt his emerald eyes examining her with distaste. "You look just like him."

She nodded, unsure if she needed to speak. Better to stay silent. "I have questions." Lupe spoke up, redirecting Loki's attention. "First, what happened to you?" There was a thick silence that descended upon the room. It seemed to drag on for minutes, but finally it was broken.

"I had to pay a debt." He wasn't explaining any more. "But you would know what I was doing, wouldn't you, Lupe?"

"I ask the questions." Lupe paused. "Second…. What…. What can I do? What am I capable of?" He looked at his pale hands, as if he was remembering something. Loki gave a wry grin at this.

"Much more than you can imagine. I don't know fully… but you my son, you are gifted in extraordinary ways. Much more than any normal half-Asgardian would be…" Tryst felt his gaze yet again. Was he insulting her? Her nose twitched anticipatingly. She wasn't weak. Not by a long shot. See who's laughing once you're charred and electrocuted. Her hand jittered, anxious for the presence of Mjolnir.

"She said she was the god of lightning… what am I the god of?" her cousin said haltingly.

"I'm not totally sure yet… but from what I've seen… you have an incredible magical range. You could very well be the god of magi-"

"Loki Laufeyson!" Tryst interrupted. She couldn't stand this anymore. "You are not to assign godships! You do not possess the authority- only the Allfather can dedicate-"

"Please spare me the audience of my adopted brother, child," Loki waved his hand and Tryst suddenly became unable to speak. The nerve! She was the heir to the throne of Asgard! And this… this traitor dared to magic her? Uncle or not, Loki would have to pay.

**2.**

Okay. Deep breaths. Lupe Lokison does not lose his head. Yes, he just met his father. Yes, he is a magical demi-god. And yes, his emotional blonde 'cousin' was about to strike them dead.

"Oy! Calm down everyone," Lupe raised his hands. The room fell into uneasy silence. With the absence of shouting, Lupe could hear something… something that wasn't good. And it looked like Loki could hear it too. He heard the faintest sound of car doors opening. And muffled noises of communicators.

"It has been an interesting experience, but I fear that I must leave now…" Loki said mysteriously. "Lupe. One thing. Don't trust the Avengers." And just as quickly as he appeared, the god of mischief apparated away in a puff of smoke. Lupe felt slightly sad at his father's disappearance, but was reassured knowing that this was far from the last time they would meet.

He felt energized. His body was ice cold and pulsating with power. He was able to do anything now. "That was quite strange…" Tryst said through clenched teeth.

"Shush." Lupe quipped.

"Wh-" Tryst shouted. "How dare you tell me wha-"

"Be quiet. I hear something."

She stopped talking with a frown. Apparently she knew something was wrong. The hammer in her hand started flickering with electric energy. Lupe bit his lip.

"We need to leave-" Before he could finish his sentence, the door was busted down. Men in black special ops suits ran in. At the front was a well dressed man in a suit and tie.

"Calm down," the man said soothingly. "I'm Agent Knox from S.H.I.E.L.D." Tryst's eyes filled with recognition. Lupe vaguely remembered the name from somewhere…. Weren't they connected with the Avengers? The people against his father. His father said not to trust them. Lupe felt the power rising in him.

"What do you want?" Lupe asked.

"We just want you both to come with us. We have a few questions to ask…"Agent Knox raised his hands peacefully.

"Is this about the Avengers?" Tryst said. Lupe noticed her hammer was still charged.

"I am not at liberty to divulge this information right now." The man said coolly. "If you do not come willingly, I am authorized to use force."

Lupe frowned. "I am not going anywhere with you."

"Suit yourself." The man said. With lightning fast reflexes, the man pulled out a small tazer gun, and shot Lupe straight in the chest.

**5.**

"Cousin!" Tryst shouted, running towards Lupe. She could feel the electricity running through the boy. It wouldn't hurt her, but it would certainly hurt Lupe. "How dare you…" She turned to the Agent. "How DARE you attack my cousin?!" She stood herself up.

"I see you are not going to come willingly as well…" Agent Knox said. He turned the strange weapon towards Tryst and pulled the trigger. The device latched on to her arm. She felt a small tingling sensation.

"Is that the best you can do? I am a warrioress of Asgard!" She grinned. She had to help her cousin somehow. Her father had said she could trust S.H.I.E.L.D. but now they were harming her own flesh and blood!

The Agent pressed a button and spoke in a hushed voice. "Tazer rendered useless, use tranqs. I recommend a triple dose. This is an Asgardian after all."

Before she could call down lightning, something stuck her. A small needle-like object. Everything started to spin around. "W-what have you d-done?" Tryst stammered, falling to her knees. "I-I am the d-d-daughter of T-T-Thor. And you sh-s-hall not d-d-defe-" And Tryst fell unconsciously to the ground.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Okay, not quite as long as I had hoped. I just wrote half of this today, so forgive me. Please continue to review, I love you all! Also, feel free to make predictions on future pairings or whatever you wish. I do promise a few pairings to come up a bit later. xD ~Jazzy

P.S. Next chapter Tryst and Lupe WILL be meeting the rest of the gang. So prepare for some interesting conversations!

**Chapter 5: Life Goes On…**

**At S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ…**

Agent Knox entered the headquarters quietly. Two agents behind him dragged the unconscious bodies of the two demi-gods. The girl had woken up mid-drive and had to be tranq'd a second time. She was truly superhuman if she needed two horse tranquilizers to keep her down for 3 hours…

"Put them in holding rooms 2 and 3," He commanded the two Agents. They nodded and took their charges to the rooms.

He walked into main command room, where Fury would be waiting. "Director Fury, I have successfully captured the two persons of interest." Agent Knox said simply. The Director turned around and gave him a quizzical look, holding a manila folder in one hand.

"When were you going to tell me, Agent Knox?"

"Tell you what, sir?"

Fury smiled, a truly rare occurrence. "I had to look in your file to find out…" Knox shifted his weight nervously. "That Agent Coulson was your father…?"

Knox paused and gave a breathy laugh. "It wasn't relevant."  
"Of course it is. Your father was a hero. A true Agent. With his status, you can go far in your career. Everyone respects him…" Fury pointed out, examining the folder closely.

"With all due respect sir, I didn't want anyone to know. I wanted to make my own way in S.H.I.E.L.D., not be promoted because of my father's deeds."

"Good answer," Fury chuckled. "How old were you when he…."

Knox interrupted him, not wanting to hear the rest of the sentence. "I was 6, sir." His eyes grew wistful.

"It must have been hard for you and your mother."

"It was. She took it badly. But life moves on. They weren't married actually. But they were going to be…" Knox smiled a little, remembering his mother going dress shopping only a few weeks before his father's death. She had been so happy and carefree, taking him with her. Swirling in the dresses. Feeling like a queen. And she would hold him and tell him that he was her little prince and that daddy loved him.

"She was a… cellist?"

"The best around. Orchestras all wanted her to perform with them…" Knox trailed off. "Well sir," he cleared his throat. "I have to go back and interrogate the suspects now."

"Good talking with you, Agent Knox." Fury said briefly.

"Thank you sir."

**2.**

Lupe woke up with a stinging headache. He tentatively placed a hand over his forehead, massaging his temples. Then he realized he was in handcuffs. His head darted around, as he took in his surroundings. A dark room with a small plastic chair at one end and a table at the other. He was laying on the ground.

Lupe could barely remember a thing. As the seconds ticked past, he slowly remembered the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, who had tazered him. Why? It was apparent that this was not a desirable place to be. And where had Tryst gone? Had the Agent taken her too? But she seemed like a girl who wouldn't give up without a fight. Why was he so worried? He barely knew the girl.

The door opened as Lupe pulled himself off the ground. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the new arrival.

The man from before, the man who had tazered him, walked in. "Lupe Lokison," the man said cordially. "I'm Agent Knox, I trust you remember me…?"

Lupe bit his lip angrily, trying to hold back a quip or comment that would only get him in trouble. "Yes. I do remember you. Why am I here? I'm pretty sure this is a violation of my ri-"

The Agent smiled ruefully. "I am sorry for the… incident. I was only told to take you into custody by any means necessary." He walked towards Lupe and pulled out some keys, unlocking the handcuffs. Lupe rubbed his wrists, which had small red indentations on them.

"Why am I here, though?"

"It's about your father." Knox stated simply. "And you."

"What about me, I'm nothing special," Lupe said automatically.

"Oh, you're far from ordinary, Lupe. And I think you know that too. Something's happened to you, hasn't it? You've discovered something about yourself…" The Agent said mysteriously. Okay, so they were watching Lupe. He wondered for how long.

"I'm not a threat, if that's what you mean," Lupe said, looking the Agent in the eyes.

"I'm afraid you are. You see, you don't have a very good control of your abilities right now. Which is understandable, considering the fact that they're brand new. But the point is, you could accidentally do something you'll regret. And you don't have a good track record right now, considering your parentage…"  
"I am not my father," Lupe said gravely. "I just met him. I don't know any-" By the light that dawned in the Agent's eyes, this was new information. Lupe frowned a little, he shouldn't have said that he just met his father… "-thing about him. I have no grudges against S.H.I.E.L.D. or my country." _At least not any I'd divulge._

"We understand your position, and we have a deal for you." Knox said with the slightest of smiles. "We want you to work for us, at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Doing what exactly?"

"We have a new… initiative. We're collecting the 'next generation' of superheroes and talented individuals all around your age."

Lupe murmured a hushed 'hm…'. "But still, what is the purpose of this 'Initiative'?"

"Just doing things to help out the world. Fight crime. Defeat those who seek to destroy us. Coordinate and discuss things with-" the Agent stopped rather abruptly. "With Asgard."

"Why should I?" It wasn't that Lupe didn't want to help, but there was so much to consider. Working with a bunch of strangers who all hated his father… It didn't seem good. And of course, his father said not to trust S.H.I.E.L.D…. but then again, could Lupe even trust his father?

"We are prepared to give you whatever you ask for, within reason, of course." Lupe thought for a second. What would he want?

"I want… money and protection. For my mother. I guess you know where she lives…" _If you've really been stalking us, _was his under-thought. "I also want training. From competent people. I don't want innocent people getting hurt from my abilities. And finally… I want files." The Agent had a surprised look on his face. "Files on who I'll be working with. And about the events of 19 years ago. I have a lot to catch up on."

"I can't get you all the files," Knox warned. "Only some of the more declassified files. Or whatever Fury allows you to see."

"That's fine," Lupe said quickly, happy to even get the barest of information. "But I want the files of my father. ALL of his files. Non-negotiable."

"Fine," Knox agreed. "But you may not like what you read."

"It's my choice. I need to know about my father. Is there anything else?"

Knox shook his hand. "Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D."

**3.**

Honestly, Amy thought that Bane was about to explode into a giant green rage monster at the news he had just received. The shouting and surprised emotions on his face made it apparent that it was not good news. Amy had used her super-sense abilities to listen in on the conversation. And it really wasn't good.

His caretaker, his 'Yvonne', was missing.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He looked up at her sadly, brown eyes dulled.

"I-I'm fine," he stuttered.

"Y'sure dude?" Everest said, strutting over. Yes, strutting. "You looked like you were about to explode or something."

"I'm fine," he rubbed his temples. "I have a pill for that…" he chuckled a little.

"Gosh, where can I get me somma those magic pills? Sure could save me from getting grounded…" Everest muttered.

"Trust me, you don't want these pills." Bane said grimly. Everest raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained silent.

"What happened?" Anubis asked.

"Nothing. Nothing important." Bane replied.

"Suuuure."

But Bane wasn't going to enlighten the others any further. Amelia coughed a little, trying to alleviate the burden of the silence. "Anybody want to play a board game or something?" She tried, wincing a little when she heard how ridiculous that sounded.

"I actually have a couple board games somewhere around here…" Neo said enthusiastically. He rummaged around some of the cabinets and finally emerged with a stack of board games in his arms.

They all sat down awkwardly on the couches and chairs settled around. "How about clue?" Neo suggested. A few nods decided that they'd indeed be playing it. Amelia was glad. She was half-decent at that game.

They had to explain to Banner how to play. "Okay, you're 'Reverend Green,' so here's your piece." Everest said, handing the boy a game piece. "You set it right there. And then you roll the dice and go a certain number of steps. And you get in a room. And you try and guess who the murderer is!" Okay, so he wasn't the best instruction giver, but luckily Neo and Anubis tag-teamed and showed Bane how to play.

"Okay, Miss Scarlet always goes first," Neo said, tossing the dice towards Anubis. "And then we go clockwise. So it'll be me next, Professor Plum, then Amy, Mrs. Peacock, then you, Bane, then finally Everest, Col. Mustard. Then we repeat it."

"What about that piece?" Bane pointed to the white figure.

"That's Mrs. White. We don't have enough people to have her play."

"Ah."

And so started the weirdest and most awkward game of Clue. Quite possibly ever. Amelia was doing well, she had it narrowed down to Miss Scarlet or Professor Plum as the suspects. And it was either in the Conservatory or the Ballroom. She just needed a few more clues… And Everest was already out. He had made a rash guess of "Mrs. Peacock, in the Library, with the lead pipe!" only a few turns in. And he had been horribly wrong. So he sat sullenly on the outside, pointing out various little details in the game, and peeking at everyone's clues.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Neo said triumphantly. "It's Miss Scarlet in the Ballroom, with the revolver!" He reached over to the small 'confidential' envelope and took out the contents.

"Well, are you right?" Bane asked quietly.

"Yup! Sorry Anubis," Neo smirked. "But you're the murderer. You're going to have to go to jail now."

"Oh darn," Anubis frowned. "I never suspected myself. I thought it was you, Neo."

"It's okay," Amelia spoke up. "I thought it was both of you. Like in some conspiracy. Who'd you suspect, Bane?"

"Oh, I, uh-" he stammered. Everest yanked his cards and notepad out.

"Oh man. Look at this! He knew the murderer all along! It says right here, 'Scarlet, Ballroom, Revolver.'"

"Why didn't you accuse anyone?" Anubis questioned.

"I-I just. I don't know. I guess I just didn't want anyone to get in trouble." Bane shrugged, gently taking the notepad away from the red-haired boy.

"It's just a game, Bane."

"Yeah, I know…"

**5.**

"My head feels like Mjolnir fell on it…" Tryst complained, waking up. She went to scratch her head, but found out she couldn't move her hands. They were held to a chair by some sort of plastic ties. The chair was also secured to the floor. She couldn't move her feet either.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" She shouted. "I AM THE HEIR OF ASGARD. YOU SHALL NOT CONTA-"

The door opened halfway through her shouting. The Agent known as 'Knox' walked in. "I see you're awake." He said simply.

"What am I going here!" She struggled at her bounds.

"You tried to attack us. We had to temporarily knock you out. The restraints are for the Agents safety. We didn't want you waking up and hurting one of our men." He explained. Tryst wanted to trust him. He had an honest face and looked nice enough.

"I am sorry for my actions. I do not know most of my own strength. It is why I am present here." Her face suddenly turned into shock. "Where is Mjolnir?!" She moved about, trying to undo the restraints. Suddenly the hammer burst through the wall, leaving a sizable hole. However, since she couldn't move her wrists, the hammer settled itself on her lap.

"Ah yes," Knox said. "We had to leave it back at the Motel. None of our men could lift it," he admitted with a laugh.

"Only I and my father are able to lift this hammer." She said proudly.

"I will undo your bounds if you promise not to attack me or my men."

"What is your name?" She asked quickly.

"What?"

"What is your name? And your father's name?"

"Uh…" He paused. "I'm William Knox. My father was… Phil…?"

"I promise to you, William Knox, son of Phil, that I will not cause harm to come to you or your companions." Tryst proclaimed, as Knox took out a scissors and cut the ties to her arms and legs.

She stood up, stretching. And she still felt exceedingly sore on every part of her body. And had a roaring headache. "You are with the organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D.?" She asked.

"That's correct," Knox replied.

"Then I have come to assist you!"

"Wh-?"

"My father, Thor Allfather, has given me a quest on Midgard, to gain immortality! I am to assist S.H.I.E.L.D. and help to protect your realm for the course of a year…"

"Well, that's great," the Agent said. "And I know just where you can help…"


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Next chappie! To any Italian readers, I'm sorry if my descriptions are lacking (or totally off). I really don't know that much about Italian countryside, and all my info is founded from a google search. Don't judge me. I DO WHAT I WANT, THOR. AAAND I have news! At 40 reviews, I will let the 40th reviewer pick from three different one-shot ideas in which the 'Revengers' will star. And do stuff and possibly have some fluff, and/or reveal pairings. So yes! Review, and the 40th will get to choose a funny one-shot for me to write! :D ~Jazzy

P.S. Don't hate me for the shortness and/or cliffhanger. Please review and stuff!

**Chapter 6: Meeting**

**On Jotenheim…**

He woke up with a start. His eyes opened, frost falling from his thin lashes. A hand wiped away the sleep crusting his eyes. Being asleep for a few hundred years would do that to you… The icy casket that had held him captive was shattered at his awakening. He stood himself up on to the icy, snow-covered ground of his home planet.

"Loki…" he whispered with crackly breath. "He put me here…" Clouds of frost appeared in the air as he breathed slowly. He felt the ice inside him melting slowly.

"Laufey." He ran towards the ice towers that was the new palace. A few Frost Giants nearby bowed to him, stepping back from the path. But the surprise on their faces was apparent. No one thought he would be awake this early.

"Býleistr?" Farbauti's voice rang through the hallway. "You're awake?" He ran towards the voice. On the throne was Farbauti. Her dark blue skin blended into the throne of ice. Deep markings and ridges on her skin flashed white as she saw him running in.

"Mother?" He frowned. "Where is my father?"

"Laufey?" Farbauti said quietly. "Býleistr, Laufey's dead."

"What? No!" He fell to the ground, the ice chipping at his knees. "How? How did this happen?" He asked angrily.

"He was slain by Loki, the traitor. He promised to let Laufey and three Guard into Asgard to slay Odin while he slept. But instead, Loki killed him," Farbauti explained sympathetically, rising up out of the throne and placing a cold hand on her son.

"Why would Loki do such a thing?"  
"He found out Býleistr…. He found out that Laufey was his father." His mother said.

"And is that how the Asgardians treat their own family? By deceiving them and slaying them? Now that I am awake, I will not let this pass… no. The Asgardians must pay."

"Hush Býleistr!" Farbauti chided him. "You should not be so rash, not yet. Your brother, Helblindi, has already discussed matters with the Asgardians. You must know what has happened since your slumber."

"Explain quickly, mother, for I am famished."

"After Laufey was killed, Loki fell off the Bridge into the void. He made a deal with the Chitari, who commanded him to take over the Realm of Midgard," she paused as he made a scoffing sound.

"Midgard? What could anyone possibly want with Midgard?"  
"As I was saying," she flashed him a look with her red eyes. "He was defeated by some Midgardian mortals. And his brother, Thor."  
"Since when has Thor opposed Loki?"  
"Since Loki tried to kill him. He has disowned his Asgard family."

"Well he is not accepted into our Jotun family," He spat.

"Loki disappeared from Asgard a year later. Odin passed away." He cheered a little at the statement. Good riddance. "But Thor ascended the throne."

"He will destroy us in a heartbeat. Thor has no mercy." He remarked.  
"He's changed from time spent in Midgard…" His mother muttered.

"So the almighty Thor has gotten soft? Interesting. I think he will find that I am not so easy an opponent anymore…"

"Thor has nothing against us. And Loki has not been seen since." She finished. "Now do you see why your vengeance cannot be?"

"All I see is… I must go to Midgard and find those who defeated him. They shall know where the traitor is. And if they do not…" Býleistr chuckled. "It will not bode well for them."

**On A Plane…**

"We will be landing in Rome shortly," the smooth voice of the pilot said, as the plane began its descent. Yvonne looked tiredly at the window, gazing at the small landscape and billowing clouds. It had been insanely difficult to secure a plane ticket without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowledge. She had to contact plenty of… undesirable personas. She didn't like owing people, but this was different. She had to do this.

But if S.H.I.E.L.D. found out… she'd be toast. They wouldn't be happy with what she was about to do. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of crashing as the plane fumbled through the skies and eventually landed. Passengers around her began speaking Italian in hushed tones. Yvonne didn't know much Italian, but she understood a few words here and there.

She pulled out her carry-on and exited the plane as fast as possible. The bag she carried was the only bag she had packed. Check-on luggage took up time and money, neither of which she particularly had. Since this 'mission' was off their radar, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be footing any of the bills. And spending more time in an airport would only leave more time for her to be noticed. She knew that they had eyes everywhere.

The small suitcase rolled against the sidewalk and Yvonne hailed a taxi. "Bergamo?" She asked the driver, shoving her bags in the trunk. He looked at her strangely.

"You have money?" He asked in broken English. She nodded. "It be long drive."

"Go ahead," she gave a half-hearted smile. "I have time…" she muttered under her breath. She pulled out a crossword puzzle and began, ignoring the picturesque countryside around her, as they sped up the road. She lost track of time, but by the time she had finished the fifth crossword puzzle, they were there.

"Thank you, gratzi," Yvonne stuttered, handing the man a handful of cash. He smiled at her generous tip and her clearly misspoken Italian.

"You have nice day?" he said politely.

"Uh, yes. You too." She waved him off, holding the bag in one hand. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and read off an address. "I'm coming for you, Banner…"

**6.**

Clue was good, Bane figured. It kept his mind off of things. However, it was hard to concentrate anyway, considering the amount of drugs in his system. On the bright side, he felt perfectly calm. On the down side, he was drowsy and inattentive. He probably could have figured out the murderer ages sooner than he did, if he was off the drugs.

But if he had been off the meds, then he would have hulked out in Stark Tower and quite possibly have killed his friends. Which was no way to behave. Sometimes he wondered how his father handled everything. He didn't have medications to keep him under control. Bane had been living with this condition since… birth? He had grown up with it, gotten used to it. However he still had little to no control of it.

Or did he? S.H.I.E.L.D. never gave him the opportunity to go without meds and actually control the gift. Instead, sometimes he'd be allowed to hulk out in a facility somewhere where nothing could get broken. He'd be controlled by rage and emotions, feeling everything yet nothing at the same time. The entire time his mind would be unreachable and he'd be a true monster.

S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't truly understand what he had to go through. What they forced him through every day. But Yvonne always seemed to truly care about him. After every session she'd take his hand and walk with him to the nearest bakery. They'd pick out a cookie and sit in the car and talk. Or even just sit in perfect silence, the way he liked it. She'd never push him to speak up. And he missed that. He missed her, even though it had only been a few hours since he saw her last.

It was the thought that he'd never see her again that hurt.

He heard a small melodic chime, and Neo pulled his phone out of his pocket. He flicked it and put it up to his ear. Bane nudged a bit closer, trying to catch some of the words. "Yeah hey dad," Neo mumbled. "Mhm, yeah, it's fine. We're all fine. No, I didn't start a crazy wild part- what do you mean by that?!" Neo stood up off of the couch, flashing the group a 'one minute' signal.

"Wait- who's coming over?!" Neo frowned. "And you're sure it's S.H.I.E.L.D.? Well, no, I'm not going to ask that!" Bane readjusted his seat at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Certainly they couldn't be coming for Bane so soon? Had he done something wrong? Had they found Ilia.

"Yeah, okay. I will. Bye dad." Neo hung up the phone and sighed a long breath.

"What was that about?" Everest asked as Neo rejoined the rest of them.

"My dad." Neo rang his hands through his hair, messing it up thoroughly. But he didn't seem to care. He took off his glasses and began to furiously polish them. Bane guessed it was a nervous tell of his.

"Aaaaaand?" Everest prompted.

"We're having some more visitors."

"Who?" Amy asked, eyebrows raised. "Who else could be coming?"

"Thor's kid…" he paused. "… and Loki's."

**5.**

Tryst sat in the car, fidgeting. Lupe looked at her, slightly annoyed. "Will you just calm down?" He asked, rubbing his forehead and sighing.

"I am sorry, cousin. I have never had the privilege of travelling the Midgardian way, and I find it most taxing." She apologized. It was amazing how fast they were going. Faster than any horse she had ever ridden. Faster than the Allfather's horse could ever go. Trees, plants, even other transports were left in the dust.

"Mhm…. Dang Asgardians…." She could barely hear Lupe's whispers. He seemed… upset lately. Tryst wondered if he was always like this, or if it had something to do with her.

"I am sorry if you are feeling unwell, cousin. I understand that this is a lot of information to be absorbing…." She gave her best award-winning smile. Lupe merely frowned in reply.

"It's okay. I get it. I just need some alone time." Lupe stared out of the window tiredly.

"Okay, cousin!"

"And will you stop calling me that?" He turned around to look at her.

"Why?"

"We aren't cousins, as far as I understand." Lupe said, as Tryst stared at Mjolnir in her hands. It wasn't heavy to her, so it was humorous when the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempted to pick it up and failed miserably.

"Perhaps not by blood, but by spirit, cousin, we are." Tryst grinned.

"You can't pick your family. That the whole point behind family," Lupe muttered. In a much quieter tone he added, "but I wish I could…"

"Maybe you cannot chose your birth, but you can chose who you treat like kin. You are like kin to me, Lupe," she said kindly.

"You barely know me."

"That is no matter. I feel it between us. We are kin."

"We-"

He was cut off by the car rapidly stopping. The car doors opened on either side of the Asgardians, and they were beckoned to step off. Tryst jumped off of the vehicle, giving a hardy thanks to the driver. Agent Knox escorted the two to the elevator inside the massive tower.

"This tower is even more impressive then the great heights of Aljmir…" she breathed.

"Tallest thing around," Knox said with pride. "We'll be up here," he pressed a button on the elevator. "I won't be inside with you, but you better believe I'll be listening in. So behave." The entire ride up (which didn't last very long anyway) was filled with instructions on how to act and what to say. Lupe looked bored as he glanced around. Tryst eagerly soaked up all the new information and technology. They stepped off the elevator and Knox departed.

Tryst stared at the doors leading to the room. She could hear hushed voices inside. She looked at Lupe and nodded, opening the large doors.

"HELLO NEW COMPANIONS!" She boomed, smiling widely. All the heads in the room turned to look at them.

"Well, we definitely know who's Thor's kid," a red-headed boy began to laugh.

"Indeed, I am Tryst Thordaughter, heiress to Asgard and goddess of lightning. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." She respectfully bowed.

"And so that must be Loki's…." the boy muttered darkly.

"Is there a problem?" Lupe asked, stepping further into the room.

"Oh nothing, just the fact that your dad tried to kill all of our parents, and oh, just take over the world." The red-haired boy stood up and glared at Lupe. Both were tall, but Lupe stood an inch taller then the boy. Green eyes connected with blue.

"I am not my father." Lupe said stiffly. He looked at the boy up and down. "I'm guessing you're a Barton."

The boy nodded slowly, never moving his eyes. "But you know what they say… the apple never falls that far from the tree…"

"Aww, that's not fair to you, Bartie," Lupe gave a mischievous grin. "You didn't seem like _that _much of a suck-up idiot."

"Oh it's on, Lokison," And then Barton lunged toward Lupe with a yell.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Whoo! Chappie 7! Guess whaaaat? I got fanart! You can find it on deviantart, by the brilliant Cleansweep5. I am so touched by this! In fact, I was inspired. Y'remember how I said I might post my own character artwork earlier? Well I did. Linkage (remove le asterisks): (i47 * tinypic * . * com * /2r56opk. * jpg). Check it out and tell me whatcha think! I will also probably come out with a new cover too, if y'all like it. ^^

Remember- 40 reviews and the 40th reviewer will get to pick a oneshot!

**Chapter 7: Connections**

**2.**

Lupe hadn't been looking forward to meeting the new Avengers. Even though he requested to meet them, he knew what they would be like. Possibly. Barton had reacted a little… violently. As now he was lunging at Lupe, intent on strangling him.

"Stop! That's enough!" A girl ran from where she had been standing and jumped in between the two boys. She took the blow meant for him effortlessly, without even making a sound. She shoved Barton out of the way, giving him a quick elbow to the gut. He fell to the ground with a grunt.

She straightened herself up and looked at Lupe, almost as if daring him to make a move. She had long light brown hair, tied into a ponytail and tanned skin. Deep blue eyes looked at him curiously. She was tall and muscular, but not quite as bodybuilder as Tryst. Her face was rather pretty, and she wore a distinctive sort of challenging smile.

"Are you gonna try and fight it out too?" She asked him, brushing herself off. Barton was curled up into a ball near the couch muttering some obscenities and talking about 'how he couldn't believe he got beaten up by a girl.'

"Believe it or not, fighting with you all was not my intent," Lupe said carefully. He extended a pale hand towards her, and she shook it reluctantly.

"Lupe… Lokison." He introduced himself. Her being a Rogers. That explained a lot. The Cap was always a traditional, moralistic kinda guy. Of course his daughter would be the same. Not that Lupe knew a lot about the Avengers. Only what the average kid with an internet connection would know. His mom never talked about that sort of thing. And knowing what he knew now about his father… well he knew why.

"You really are Loki's kid?" Another girl piped up. Lupe turned around to look at her. Dirty blonde hair, skinny frame… bright blue eyes. They stared into his soul, feeling around his mind, there was a faint whisper growing in his ears. He blinked, then readjusted his vision. No doubt about it, he felt something to this girl. His mind was pulsing. There was some sort of connection. He prodded the connection, feeling it in his thoughts. By the look on the girl's face, she felt it too.

"I am, but I never met him before today," he said bitterly.

"You met Loki today? I thought he'd been missing for years…" A boy with curly dark brown hair mused.

"Or living with him," Barton added, gesturing towards Lupe.

"I'm not lying. I just met him," Lupe said.

"Says the son of the god of lies." Barton smirked, looking oh so proud of himself for connecting the dots.

"I am no liar. Don't judge me because of my father."

"Stop this madness!" Tryst boomed, stepping protectively towards Lupe. "My cousin is no liar. I was there when he met Loki. It was indeed for the first time. And Lupe is no god of lies. He is my cousin, and the god of …." Tryst paused, looking down. "The god of magic." Lupe turned to look at her.

"I thought you said only your father could determine godships," he said with the smallest of grins.

"It is no bad thing to occasionally bend the rules," Tryst said with a mischievous look. "Besides, I feel that this is right…"

Murmurs of 'magic?' ran across the room. They were obviously impressed. Now only if Lupe knew how to use it…

The rest of the children introduced themselves to him, one by one. He learned that Barton's first name was Everest, and that the girl was actually his sister. _But why do I feel this connection to her? _He asked himself. He really would have to learn a bit more about the events of 19 years ago.

"I have a hard time believing that Fury would simply let you come and meet us…" The boy, Bane, muttered, after the introductions. "He never trusted Loki, why would he trust you?"

"He doesn't." Lupe stated simply. "But I made an agreement with another agent. I guess I'm part of S.H.I.E.L.D. now." Everest chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Everest sneered, rubbing the place where Amelia had elbowed him. It appeared that he and Everest would not be the closest of friends. But Tryst had no trouble in that respect. She eagerly was talking with anyone who would listen. At the moment, she was animatedly talking to Amelia and Anubis.

But Anubis wasn't paying attention, instead she was focused on Lupe. A soft voice echoed in Lupe's ears, barely noticeable, but the connection pulsed yet again.

_Hello. Can you hear me?_

**7.**

Anubis had spoken carefully, barely sure of what she was supposed to do. A few simple words, a prod on the mysterious tether holding her and Lupe together… it was all strange.

Could it possibly have something to do with her eyes?

_"Something's wrong with her eyes…" her mother had said, holding the infant._

_"I've seen those eyes before…" Clint muttered, stepping back from her."They're the eyes of those possessed by the Tesseract. Some of the Tesseract's energy must have stayed in me… and transferred into her."_

_"It doesn't look like it's affecting her." Natasha had said comfortingly, resting a hand on the baby Anubis._

_"We'll see if anything happens."_

_"Maybe it's just an aesthetic thing…"_

_"No," Clint paused. "The Tesseract always has a purpose. Always has an ulterior motive. It didn't affect Everest. If it chose to possess Anubis, you better believe it has a reason."_

Anubis shuddered slightly. Tryst stopped the conversation and looked at Anubis. "Are you alright, daughter of Clint?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Anubis stammered.

"Ah, that is good. As I was saying, it was I and the Bilgesnipe, in the plain of Aenestr… Zeph and Zane had run to receive help, but I knew it was just I and the monster…"

_I hear you… Anubis? _It was no doubt Lupe's soft and velvet voice.

_W-what is this? _Anubis questioned. _Why can I speak into your mind?_

_You tell me. This has never happened before. _Lupe looked at his hands, sighing.

_I think it has something to do with the Tesseract… _she paused.

_The what?_

Anubis stood up and walked over to where Lupe stood. "You don't know what the Tesseract is?" She asked.

"I'm clueless. I know nothing about the Avengers. Nothing about the war. I have lived isolated all my life." He explained. "I just found out that magic was real yesterday…"

"I see I have a lot of explaining to do…" Anubis frowned. "19 years ago, your father tried to take over the world." Lupe nodded. "He possessed my father with the energy of the Tesseract," she breathed deeply, "and controlled his mind. Later, my mother knocked the possession out of him. And that was the end of that… we thought." She bit her lip before continuing. "I was born after Everest. Everything seemed normal. But then… my eyes. You see, when the Tesseract possessed people, it turned their eyes as blue and radiant as the Tesseract itself. And my eyes… they're…"

"'Tesseracted'?" Lupe offered.

"Yeah." Anubis gave a grim laugh. "They did nothing. Until now."

"And you think because my father controlled your father… I can speak into your mind?"

"Well, our minds are certainly connected. That's true."

Anubis looked around and noticed Everest standing next to her. Shock filled his eyes. "What. The. Hell." He stepped closer towards Lupe. "What do you mean you're speaking into my sister's mind?"

"Ev, let me expla-"

"Oh no, I heard you explain to Mr. Demi-god earlier. This is serious, Anubis." Everest said coldly. Anubis was a little frightened, she knew how Everest could be when he was in this mood. Not even his mother could stop him when he went into a fit. And sometimes… they were deadly. He wanted to protect his little sister, but what he didn't know is that she was perfectly capable of protecting herself.

"Everest, we need to talk. Alone." She grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him into a corner.

"What?" Everest snarled.

"Calm yourself down before you kill someone."

"Listen, we can't trust this guy. And now we just found out that he might be able to _control _you?" Everest said, running a hand through his hair.

"He can't control me. We can just converse in our minds-"

"Who knows? Maybe he can control you. Maybe he just doesn't know how. Or doesn't want you to know. This is dangerous, An. You remember what father told us when he was possessed? Bad things happen. You don't remember friend from foe. You lose all control of yourself. You're a living puppet. Do you want to become that?!"

"I can take care of it." Anubis said, glaring at him.

"Can you? I don't think you can. Just remember, when you become possessed and can't control anything you do… I might not be around to knock it out of you." Everest strode away, leaving Anubis standing alone in the corner of the room. Hopelessly afraid of what might happen…

**In Italy…**

Yvonne knocked at the old wooden door. Red paint was peeling from the wooden planks. She heard shuffling and something was knocked over as the door latch was hastily unlocked. "Who is it?"

"A friend." She replied.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. promised to leave me alone," Banner opened the door, gesturing her to come in.

"I'm no longer associated with them." He gave her a curious look. "Let's just say that I come to bring you news that you won't… like. You might want to brace yourself."

"I haven't had an incident in 5 years," he said, pouring two cups of tea from a tray nearby. Yvonne took a cup and sat down in the living room. It had been 19 years since she'd seen Banner. 19 years of lies and false security. 19 that Banner thought he was safe. That he thought he was the only one of his kind. No, Yvonne did not look forward to dealing with an angered Banner.

"This might break that streak." She said grimly. The house wasn't fancy, by far. But it contained just enough clutter and decoration to know that someone lived there. A humming laptop sat on the coffee table, Yvonne noticed algorithms and formulas scrolling across the screen.

"Please don't tell me Fury wants me back. I'm done with those days. After the incident… I just can't go through that again." Banner talked quietly and with hesitations, as if he were reliving the memories. Tentatively, Yvonne fingered a small needle hidden in her purse. An emergency sedative that she always carried with her in case Bane had an incident.

"It's not you that they want. It's not you that they've had…" Yvonne whispered.

"What?" Banner asked, clearing newspapers off the couch where he sat.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was never fully truthful with you…" Yvonne said ruefully.

"About what…?" She could tell Banner was struggling to stay perfectly calm.

"There's another Hulk." She said bluntly. Banner's eyes widened.

"W-what? How?"

"They took a sample of your DNA, right before the incident. Using that… they were able to… c-clone you. For the past 15 years, I've been watching over the child… your child… I mean, your clone as he grew up."

Banner was breathing slowly, but Yvonne could sense his heartbeat rising. She grabbed the sedative in her hand, but not moving. She didn't think she could do it. She couldn't take him out. It was a whole different thing then Bane.

"And he has the same abilities as me? He…" Bruce drifted off.

"Not exactly. He can change into the hulk… but it didn't go quite as smoothly as they had hoped. They thought to engineer it so that they could control when he transformed… but instead it grew even less controllable. Any time he feels any strong emotion… it triggers the transformation." Banner frowned.

"Do you know what monster you have created?"

"We kept him under control. With a mix of sedatives and other chemicals, we have kept him from changing."

"You mean you drugged up a child so he wouldn't destroy you?" Banner gave a harsh laugh. "You disgust me. What that child has had to go through… the life… he was never created normal. He could never be normal. And instead of giving him a chance to control his gifts, you drug him and make play that you hold the key to his transformation. But what you fail to realize is that one day, he will be stronger then you… and then you will be helpless… powerless against him…" Banner was shaking now, and she was getting frightened.

"That's why I'm here!" She yelled. "I'm here because I care about him! He needs you!"

"Why?"

"Because… Fury's reforming the Avengers Initiative."


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **50 Reviews = A drawing of Lupe :)

Aaah. MUSE? WHERE R U? It has disappeared. I'm working on bringing my muse back. Slowly. But please continue to read and review! Until it's back, it's awful to write. This chapter is short. I know. GAH. ~Jazzy

P.S. Sort of a filler chapter. Next chapter will feature the gang!

P.P.S. I wrote a one-shot! You can find it on my profile! It's Avenger's too!

P.P.P.S. I will start working on the Revenger's oneshot! It will be themed "Stark Gala." That's all I'm saying about it for now. ehehehe...

**Chapter 8: Other Places, Other People**

**At S.H.I.E.L.D. base…**

Agent Knox walked towards the break room, empty cup of coffee in his hand. He left one of the agents sitting in the sound room checking in on the group's dynamics. They had a small scare when Everest attacked Lupe, but luckily Rogers saved the situation. The girl was smart and seemed to be a natural leader, just like her father.

"Code 22 at the door," a voice crackled in Knox's earpiece.

"I'm headed that way, over," Knox called it in with a tired moan. He changed his course and walked towards the entrance. They rarely ever had visitors. Clearly this was a problem, as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base was strictly secret. Code 22 meant an unknown trying to enter the base. He could hear the sound of a disgruntled woman's voice all the way from across the entry corridor. Then he saw the perpetrator.

A young woman with dark brown skin and long black curly hair was furiously talking to one of the entry agents. She had creamy brown eyes and a nice looking face. She was tall and skinny but was not muscular. She wore dark blue jeans and a light floaty green top. Simple earrings dangled from her ears and he heard the clink of bangles on her wrists.

"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to le-"

"I told you already- I'm perfectly authorized to be here!" The woman replied loudly. Knox didn't recognize the guard immediately, but then remembered he was a new recruit. Knox sighed and stepped towards the door, placing a hand on the guard and leading him to take a step back.

"I've got this, Richte." Will spoke quietly, the guard nodded and left.

"What seems to be the trouble, miss?" Knox said cordially. He didn't enjoy being reduced to a common security guard.

"Look here, bud, I don't know who you think you are, but I'm tired of this bull, and I need in the base, it's urgent," the woman spoke quickly, barely with enough time to breathe in between syllables.

"I need some identification. S.H.I.E.L.D. approved identification."

"Look, I don't actually work for S.H.I.E.L.D.-" She stammered, but Knox quickly cut her off.

"-Then you can't get in, I'm afraid," He said with a low chuckle. The woman did not look amused.

"Just get me Director Fury, he'll vouch for me," she promised.

"Director Fury's a busy man, I'm not going to disturb him because of some riffraff-"

She laughed. "You mean you're not high up enough in the job ladder to talk to him, right? You're probably no higher than a security clerk," she clucked her tongue. "S.H.I.E.L.D. employing even more bums nowadays?" She gave him a look that just dared him to talk back.

"What name shall I give him?" Knox breathed out heavily. Better to just give in now then to waste time arguing with her.

"Tell him his daughter's at the door," and a smirk grew on her face.

* * *

**In Space…**

Býleistr grabbed the thick armor from the old chest. A small layer of snow and frost had gathered on the top. He had wiped it off with a determined smile. No one had touched his gear since his sleep. He placed the various pieces on himself, giving it a look over in a polished piece of ice. It was so cold in Jotunheim, even for him. It was a dead country without the power of the Tesseract.

_Where lay it now? In the gilded halls of Asgard? Or in the incompetent hands of the Midgardians? _Even his mother did not know. Býleistr had not been able to contact his brother, who was preparing to ascend the throne of Jotunheim. It was a lengthy process.

Býleistr would have to go to Midgard without his brother's blessing.

It was a little known fact to many that the Frost Giants were quite capable magicians. Most could only summon frost and ice to do their bidding, but every once and a while… a true sorcerer would be born. Býleistr was quite proud to be considered one. He was out of practice, considering the fact that he had been frozen for a hundred years. But he was certain he could perform the simple teleportation spell, no matter how unsimple the location was.

Maybe once or twice he had teleported into Asgard, but someone else always accompanied him. And as the stories went, apparently Loki had done the same. Before he slaughtered Laufey. The traitor would have to pay for his crimes, eventually. Býleistr wasn't sure how, but it would have to hurt.

Now that he wore more suitable clothes, he could set off. He journeyed into the palace's special corridor, known as the Hall of the Moon. It was a special place that had been enchanted with millennia of magical spells. Already, Býleistr could hear the humming of magic and the whispers of souls who had cast their own spells before him.

He spoke quietly, laying down the foundation for the teleportation. His voice was still crackling and breaking, aching from not being used. He had cast a mild health spell earlier, but it was doing him little good. Oh yes, Loki would pay.

A golden rune sprang into being on the floor, glowing brilliantly. He oriented himself on the middle of it and said a few choice spell words. Suddenly he was surrounded by rainbow colors and sounds. He could hear the wind roaring in his ears, and his feet left the ground. He held onto his sword tightly as he faded out of existence from the room. He was no longer on Jotunheim, but spiraling through space. He closed his eyes and felt the pressure increasing around him.

Then poof. He opened them to find himself in a place that could only be Midgard. It was swelteringly hot. The ground was covered in sand. An intense sun beat down on him. Quickly realizing that if he stayed here much longer, he would die, he called a new spell out, that changed his form. Instead of being an 8 foot tall blue Frost Giant with red eyes… he was essentially an Asgardian. Stories told of how the Midgardians looked just like Asgardians…

He would find out.

He had shrunk to merely 6 feet with brown hair and grey eyes. His skin was deeply tanned, more than any Asgardians would be. And already the sun's heat was fading. He was regaining energy, but it was much weakened. It would be harder to summon magic in this form. But as soon as he was able to find a colder region, he would transform back.

He wandered until he found a small settlement. Then he realized something. He saw small strings of whispy magic floating through the sky. He recognized the taint of it. It was an Asgardian's mark. Somewhere, an Asgardian had recently arrived on Midgard. But nearby, he saw the faintest string of grey. The signature of a Frost Giant.

Loki. It had to be.

* * *

**In Italy…**

Banner's face grew red, and Yvonne could see his hands shaking. "Banner, calm down…" she murmured. Bruce's head looked up, his eyes connecting with hers. They flashed green, barely noticeable. "I-I'm fine" he said through clenched teeth. She couldn't help but take a quick step back.

But Banner didn't hulk out, instead he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Within a few minutes, he had sat back down in the armchair. "Are you okay, I was sure you were going to…" she trailed off. Her purse was nearby. She was reassured that if things DID get out of control, she had the needle hidden safe.

"I'm feeling better now," he said, his voice filled with remorse. "It was a close shave though. Now… how about you tell me some more about this? Why are they reforming the initiative? I thought it was shut down for good. We were too volatile. Too destructive." Banner smoothed his pants and stood up. He walked towards the kitchen. "Tea?" He called out.

"Uh, sure," she replied. He arrived back with a small black tray. A delicate teapot and two small cups were arranged on the tray. He opened a tin of teabags. Yvonne carefully selected the chamomile tea, and placed the bag in the cup of warm water. "Thanks," she murmured before taking a sip.

"Now…." She frowned. "I'm not entirely sure of Fury's reasoning for restarting the program-"

"-Why does that not surprise me?" Bruce laughed a little. "He was always a man of secrets."

"I think he wants to give it another chance. He can't do it with you all- no offence" she added quickly, "But sometimes grudges can run deep. He wants a fresh start."

"And he doesn't think prejudices carry on through the generations?"

"I think he has hope." Yvonne stated simply. Both took a sip of their drink. "Earth needs protectors."

"Nothing has happened for 19 years. We haven't been around. Why does Earth suddenly need us again?" Banner asked.

"Maybe… it was just the calm before the storm" Yvonne shrugged. "Maybe those years were a preparation for something greater. Something more terrible then we could have imagined."

"And a group of teenagers are our salvation?" Banner asked incredulously.

"If they get training," she said smoothly.

"How to you expect my clone to get training? All you've done is drugged him!"

Yvonne allowed a small grin on her face. "You. Banner. I want you to train him."


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Stark Gala's coming along! I've got the basics down and I'm working on the fluff. Yes. There's fluff. *Squee* So, here's the next chapter of the story. The fun part of the story (AKA the actual fighting) will probably start in a few chapters, when the plot begins. I will insert the oneshot whenever I finish, and when it's most suitable to be placed! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! Keep it up! ~Jazzy

P.S. Remember- 50 reviews = artings!

**Chapter 9: Not A Team- A Time Bomb**

**1.**

All his life, Everest had to look out for his younger sister. While on the outside, people thought he was a careless, airheaded, ladies man with the occasional angry outburst, he was far from it. Just like his parents had been, he was multilayered. He cared for Anubis. In this world, someone had to.

Not that his parents didn't, but they didn't always realize what she was up to. She could be just as manipulative and tricky as anyone. But their parents were convinced she was an angel. And Everest was far from perfect himself- he could see her mistakes and stop them.

And talking to Lupe was a mistake.

Where was he when she was being teased in the second grade for her strange blue eyes? Where was he when she was bullied and hit in fourth grade? Where was he when she was suffering from her first break-up in eighth grade? He's some stranger she just met. But not just any stranger, the son of the god of mischief and lies. Of course Everest wouldn't trust him! It was common sense that Anubis just wasn't seeing. Was she drawn in by his clever way with words? His jet black hair, charming smile, and suave attitude?

Why was she acting so blind? Lupe has given her no reason to trust him. And why would she suddenly stop listening to her own brother, the brother that's always been there for her! Everest sighed, and grabbed a new can of soda from the fridge. He closed the fridge door to see the slightly embarrassed face of Neo Stark looking at him.

"…Yes?" Everest asked slowly, one eyebrow raised.

"I… um… can I talk to you?" The boy stuttered.

"You already are, kid." Everest had the right to call everyone kid, since, as far as he knew, he was the oldest of the group. He started to open the can, listening to the fizzing of the bubbles.

"I-it's about your sister, Anubis…"

Everest stopped, setting the partially opened can of coke on the counter. "Yes…." He said with a deathly seriousness. More drama about his sister? What was the deal today?

"She's kinda cute…" Neo said, with a small pink blush gathering on his cheeks.

"And your point?"

"I-I…. I-" Neo looked down at the ground.

"Dude, if you like her, ask her out. Go ahead." Everest said. It wasn't that he wanted his sister to have the little geek Stark for a boyfriend, once again he had an ulterior motive. If Anubis was with Neo, she wouldn't be with the little creep Lupe. Neo flashed him a wide-eyed look.

"…You've never asked out a girl before, have you?" Everest sighed. "I suppose I was wrong, the apple can fall _very _far from the tree…"

"I'm adopted actua-"

"-Don't ruin my analogy."

"Right. So how do I…?" Neo looked back up at Everest. The kid wasn't bad, looks wise. That couldn't be why he'd never had a girlfriend. No, it had to be because of his timid nature. He seemed fine enough earlier… He was probably just one of those guys that were perfectly normal until they came across a pretty girl. More comfortable with math equations than conversations.

"Look here, this is how you do it… just go up to the girl," Everest even provided a few hand motions to demonstrate his point. "And tell her, 'hey do you want to go get dinner some time?' and boom, if she says yes, you're in. And I know from experience that Anubis goes out with a lot of guys. She'll probably accept…" Everest trailed off.

He looked back at Neo. "Now go!" And gave the teen a shove.

**4.**

Neo tripped as Everest pushed him. Anubis stood in a corner of the room. Her dirty blonde hair fell into her face, and her eyes were closed. Her arms were wrapped protectively around herself. He took a few steps towards her. "Anubis? Y'alright?"

She jumped a little. A grin appeared on her face as she recognized him. That was a good sign, right? All the years he had isolated himself had its disadvantages. He had spent all his life in a high end private school, which normally would have given him ample opportunities to talk to girls, but not in his case. He spent all his free time up in the lab, tinkering with mechanics.

"Yeah, yeah. All better anyways," Anubis pushed off of the wall, and stretched herself out with a yawn. She looked slightly distracted as she focused on him. Her eyes were distant.

"Well, I, uh, was just wondering… if you, uh…"

"Go on, don't be shy," she encouraged him. "Just spit it out."

"Wouldyouliketohavedinnerwith mesometime?" He winced at the end. He sounded like an idiot. He wouldn't be surprised if she turned him down right then and there. Instead, he noticed her cheeks ever-so-slightly turning pink.

"Oh! Uhm… sure!" Anubis finally said brightly.

"Really?!" Neo exclaimed. "I mean… great. Cool. Friday?"

"Yeah, Friday sounds great." She smiled a little, biting the inside of her lip.

"I'll, uh, call you with some details?" He offered.

"Yeah, here's my number…" Anubis quickly rifled through her purse and pulled out a pen and a receipt. She scribbled her number down and tore off the section of the paper, handing it to him. He accepted it and silently did a victory dance. "So call me anytime, and I'll see you then!" Anubis beamed and walked away.

**3.**

"Well, uh, I probably need to be going…" Amelia said, checking her watch. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her dad, only hoping that he would remember how to get to the text message menu to view it.

"We need to all meet here tomorrow," Neo said, glancing up from a small device not unlike an ipad. "I just got some instructions sent to me from S.H.I.E.L.D." He glanced around the room, his gaze finally settling on Tryst and Lupe. "Fury says that you're to get in the car with Bane. They're got a place for you to stay while you're on earth."

Neo scrolled across the ipad. He whistled. "Nice digs… that's a five star hotel."

"Lucky…" Everest muttered.

Amy's phone chirped. She unlocked it and read the message from her dad. "My dad's almost here, so bye guys! See you all tomorrow? Oh- what time?" She added, as she grabbed her jacket and put it on.

"Bright and early, 9 o clock!" Neo said triumphantly. "We're apparently going to start training."

"Training?" Everest laughed. "Whose dorky idea was that?"

"Mine, actually." Lupe stepped forward. He gave Everest a challenging glare. Amy got ready to step in if anything bad happened, like a fight breaking out. "If we're going to protect the world, we could use some lessons."

"I don't know about you, but I've been trained all my life as an assassin. I don't need any more training, from S.H.I.E.L.D. or whoever," Everest sneered.

"Pride comes before a fall, Barton, remember that."

"ANYWAY-!" Anubis finally said loudly, breaking the tension that was ever growing in the room. Amelia flashed a quick look around the room, and noticed a highly uncomfortable Bane in the corner. She walked over to him.

"You okay?" She crouched down. Bane rubbed his face with his hands and quickly looked up.

"No- I'm fine," He said far too quickly to actually mean it. Around his dark brown eyes, she noticed small tears.

"You've been crying…" she observed.

"That's nonsense," Bane stood himself up. "I'm unable to emotionally function at this time." He said it blandly.

"You look pretty emotional to me."

Bane paused for a little, and breathed deeply. "That's the problem."

"What?"

"I don't think it's working…"

"What? Your medicine?" She clarified.

"Yeah…" Bane scratched his neck, messing a little with his chocolate curls. "It's just been… iffy lately. Typically I'm a robot after getting the sedative. But now? I feel. Not enough to trigger anything… but enough to know that I'm really upset."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know…" he said honestly. He pulled a small communicator out of the pocket of his pants and blinked a few times. "Tryst, Lupe, our ride's here!" He shouted. The two turned their heads.

"Next time, Barton," Lupe said with a slight growl to his voice.

"I'll take you up on that offer, Lokison," Everest retaliated.

"Hey, I'll walk with you out," Amelia smiled a little and joined the cousins, Bane following her. "Bye guys!" she said with a wave.

**2.**

The four of them rode down the elevator in strained silence. Tryst was asking a myriad of questions, mainly about what the buttons in an elevator did. Lupe eventually grew tired of answering her questions, and was extremely thankful when the trip was over, and they were back on the first floor.

"Well, there's my dad! Bye!" Amy said, and ran out the door.

"And that'll be ours," Bane muttered, looking at the unmarked black SUV parked in the front of the building. Tryst, Lupe, and Bane walked outside the Tower. Lupe stopped as he saw the exceedingly tall and muscular man get out of the other car and give Amelia a hug.

"Amygirl, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" Lupe overheard the man, who he rightfully assumed to be Captain America. Amy looked a bit embarrassed. She gestured the three over to her.

"Hello, I'm Steve Rogers," the man introduced himself with a polite nod.

"Well, daddy, that's Bane Banner…" Bane gave a polite wave, and Steve shook his hand. "There's Tryst Thordaughter-"

"-IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE MEETING YOUR AQUAINTANCE, CAPTAIN AMERICA. MY FATHER HAS TOLD ME MUCH OF YOUR ADVENTURES!" Tryst boomed. She quickly learned about the Midgardian idea of hand shaking.

"And erm, that's Lupe Lokison." She said the last part very quickly. Captain America's eyes widened and his face grew stony. He did not offer a hand shake.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all," He said, opening the car door. Amy whispered a quick apology in Lupe's ear before taking her spot in the shotgun of the vehicle.

Bane opened the SUV's doors and all three crammed into the back seat, in which Lupe was forced to sit in the middle. Because, unfortunately, he was the skinniest of the three of them. Tryst was far too muscular to squish in the middle, and she had the habit of constantly staring out the window in wonder as they drove along.

"That went well," Lupe shook his head as the car pulled away from the tower.

"THE CAPTAIN SEEMED MOST DISPLEASED TO MEET YOU, COUSIN." Tryst frowned.

"I wonder why!" he said sarcastically. Tryst grew confused, still not understanding the Midgardian concept of sarcasm. Of course he had been displeased to meet Lupe. He was the son of the man who tried to enslave the human race. The son of the man whom he had fought against. The son of a monster...

"I'm just glad to be heading back to S.H.I.E.L.D…." Bane sighed, tapping his fingers against the side paneling of the car door. The window fogged up when Tryst dragged her fingers against it.

"We're not going there, right?" Lupe questioned.

"Not that I know of," Bane shrugged. The driver of the car was a man Lupe didn't recognize, and continued to be silent for the rest of the ride. The car stopped suddenly when they arrived in front of a large hotel building.

The driver finally spoke up. "Thordaughter and Lokison, this is your stop." He got out of the car and opened their doors. Lupe said a quick goodbye to Bane, and hopped out of the car, after Tryst. They walked into the hotel, accompanied by the agent, who locked the car, but left it running with Bane inside. The hotel was a fancy one. Walls had ornate carvings and wallpaper on them, and potted plants and coffee tables littered the entryway. A small bubbling fountain lay in the center of the room. They walked up to the check in desk.

"Reservation for 'Freeson'" the agent said. The receptionist quickly typed a few things in her laptop and handed them two keycards. They were staying on the 27th floor, in two seperate rooms right next to each other, with a connecting door. The agent took them up the elevator and did not leave until they had opened their rooms successfully.

"For the record," he said, as they were about to part ways. "You are both under different names here. Do not divulge your real name to anyone. You are Matthew and Mikayla Freeson, brother and sister, staying here to visit your aunt. We'll pick you up at 8:45 am tomorrow. Sharp." Then he left.

"Cousin, why has the man given us a new identity?" Tryst asked Lupe once the agent had left.

Lupe paused, thinking of a delicate way to put it. "People would probably try and hurt us- me- if they knew who we were. It has to be a secret, okay?"

She slowly nodded her head.


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **I might just publish what happened in the missing time with Knox and Aella as a one-shot later. I don't know. I like their interaction, but I want to move along with the story… so yeah. Don't worry- she'll be back. Anyway. Sorry for the wait: I had WAY too much schoolwork. It shouldn't be legal. I dressed up with a few friends for Halloween. We were the Avengers! And I was Loki. XD So that was fun. But I'm still busy. But here's the next chapter anyway. Please review! ~Jazzy

P.S. Oh right- here's your picture of Lupe! Tis but a simple computer drawing, but I like it. (tiny pic at the dotcomslash 219dpol . jpg) )

**Chapter 10: Let's Get Down to Business**

**At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters...**

Knox left the strange girl and immediately got Fury. As he approached the office, he knocked politely on the door. "Director Fury?"

"What is it, Knox?"

"Someone's at the front door… she claims to be your daughter…?" The door opened, revealing a shocked looking Fury. "Do you even have a daughter, sir?"

Fury gave a grim nod. "I do."

"You never told me, I mean your fil-"

"-You're not the only one with family secrets, William," Fury said with a smirk. He closed the door behind him and started walking towards the front door. The young woman waved quickly as they approached.

"Dad! It's about time you got here! These idiots didn't even know who I was-!" She gave a glare to Knox, who restrained from making an impolite face in return.

"Agent Knox, this is my daughter, Aella Fury, or as she's known Aella Roberts…" Knox cautiously offered a hand for her to shake. Aella gave an unconvincing half smile and shook. "Now why are you here, A?"

"There's a problem. Mom's been trying to contact you but…" she bit her lip. "Another reporter's getting nosey again, and I think he might be more than just a reporter…" Fury sighed and massaged his temples.

"I'll dispatch Forth or one of the other Agents you're familiar with…" he mused quietly. "I'll be home late tonight." He quickly gave her a peck on the cheek. He turned suddenly to Knox. "Actually, Agent Knox, could you go with Aella? I just remembered Forth is working with Tryst and Lupe… I'll give you the files. It's a simple interrogation procedure…" Fury walked with Knox back to his office, where he gave him a rather thin folder.

"I'm trusting you with an awful lot, William," Fury said, sitting back down in his desk chair. His single eye stared straight into Knox's eyes. "My family is deep undercover, for their own protection. I can't let anything happen to them."

"I understand sir…" Will said respectfully. He exited the room and started flipping through the files, until one caught his eye.

_Aella Fury, AKA Aella Roberts. Aged residing in New York City, New York. Address: CLASSIFIED. Education: NYU fine arts degree. Current Employment: freelance artist, studio address: CLASSIFIED. Family: Willa Fury (mother), Nicolas Fury (father), Jayson Fury (brother)._

"What you looking at?" Knox looked up rapidly from his reading to be staring straight into Aella's inquisitive brown eyes.

"Nothing." He stated.

"Mhm, sure. Look, if you're going to be helping me, you've got to know a few ground rules first."

"And those are?" Will raised an eyebrow. Aella laughed a little in anticipation.

"First off, I don't do "Agent" name crap. First names only."

"That's highly unpro-"

"Do I look like I care?" She had a point. She really didn't look like she cared if he had any objectives. "So what's your real name, _Agent Knox?_"

"Will… William Phil Knox Coulson," he admitted finally. Her eyes widened.

"You're _Coulson's _kid? No way! My dad told me all about him-!"

"Moving on, rule two?"

She sighed a little, only to have it replaced with a smirk. She pulled a few locks of hair out of her face, and raised one eyebrow. "I get a gun if we're in danger."

"Do you have a license?" Knox asked automatically, feeling the cold weight of his own weapon against his clothes. She shook her head no. "Then no gun for you. If we really are in danger, you're only going to get yourself hurt or injured by shooting yourself in the foot. Then I have to pick you up and carry you out of a potentially deadly situation, which just might kill us both. Understand? No gun."

"Yeesh, you're depressing."

"I'm realistic. Now let's go take care of this thing."

"But I still have some ru-" A single look silenced her. "Fine. I'll tell you the rest in the car."

**6.**

Bane woke up at 7 am sharp. He woke up in a bed that was not his own. He woke up in S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, only reminding him that Yvonne was gone. He couldn't go back to their house, not when she wasn't there. So the Agents had requested he stay there for a few days as they sorted it out. He shut off the small alarm and stretched. He grabbed the small stack of clothes that were left out for him: a simple green shirt and black sweatpants. Oh right… they were training today.

Bane took the glass of water sitting on a small table nearby and took a small sip before downing the pill placed next to it. Already he felt his hands starting to shake. Deep breaths. He took the pillow from his bed and sat down on top of it, practicing his meditation. His hope was that one day he wouldn't need the medication, that he could simply control his curse by simple patterns of breathing.

After a few minutes of sitting still, he stood up and relaxed. His hands were steadier and he could already feel the familiar sensation of nothingness swirling upon him. He then noticed the small tray on his dresser, containing breakfast. Two slices of toast, a glass of orange juice, and an apple. He ate the two pieces of toast rather quickly, skipped the juice, and took the apple to go.

Making sure he had his cellphone in his pocket, Bane walked outside the door and found his way to the exit hallway. An agent accompanied him to the car, and started the engine. Bane took his seat near the window in the back. When he was younger he always had wanted to sit in the front, but that was a lost battle nowadays. He didn't even know how to drive. However, he was 16 years old, and it was something he wanted to learn. He'd have to ask Yv-

Oh… right…

The car eventually came to a stop in front of the hotel where they had left Tryst and Lupe. The hotel's door was thrown open to reveal a beaming Tryst. The agent greeted them and opened the door to the car, letting them both enter.

"Hello friend Bane!" Tryst proclaimed. "I hope you found your sleep most enjoyable last night!" She reluctantly took the middle seat, as Lupe closed the car door. She wore grey sweatpants and a simple red tee shirt with no writing on it. She had a large smile on her face and obviously had to be a morning person.

Lupe on the other hand… circles rimmed his lower eyes and he stared out the car window drearily. He had on black sweatpants and a blue shirt with a faded red-and-blue superman logo on it. It had to be one of his clothes from home.

Tryst didn't notice her cousin's lack of enthusiasm and started to talk with the both of them, even if neither of them replied. She was completely unfazed when Lupe ignored her questions, instead changing the subject and talking to Bane. Both Bane and Lupe seemed relieved to finally arrive at Stark Tower.

**3.**

Amelia Rogers was never late. In fact, she was the shining imagine of punctuality. It probably had something to do with her father, who never missed an appointment. He always showed up 10 minutes early to anything. When she was little, Amelia asked him why.

"Because once I missed a very important date," he had said with a sad smile.

So Amelia stood awkwardly alone on the 87th floor of Stark Tower, 10 minutes earlier then she was supposed to be there. The whole floor had been outfitted as a giant gym, with a boxing ring, weight center, swimming pool, and even a small 1/8 mile running track. A decently sized area was covered in foam matting, but had no objects around it. With a smile, Amelia finally noticed a punching bag in the corner of the boxing section.

Finally, something she knew she could do. She grabbed a hand wrap and covered her hands tightly before testing the bag with a heavy punch. The bag swayed but did not come undone. It would have to do. She set into the rhythm of the punches quickly enough, working on a beat inside her head.

Then the elevator door opened with a surprisingly loud "DING."

The bag went flying as Amy threw a punch in surprise.

"Daaaang. I'm not going to surprise you…" Everest Barton said with a smirk and an impressed look. Anubis was right behind him, holding a small athletic bag.

"I didn't know if they'd have bows," she shrugged, setting the bag down. And finally Neo emerged from the elevator as well. He casually walked over to the nearest bench and sat down, pulling out a tablet device.

"Yo, Geek Charming, I don't think this is techy class. We're here to punch things and stuff," Everest said, plucking the device from Neo's hands.

"Hey!" Neo protested. "Give it back!"

Everest stuck out his tongue. The elevator door opened again and Bane, Tryst, and Lupe all walked out. Bane looked as emotionless as ever. Tryst was bubbly and chatting, holding Mjolnir in one hand. Lupe stood behind her, stifling a yawn.

"Isn't there supposed to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent here?" Amelia asked, stepping away from the fallen punching bag. _I'll just get that later… _she thought with a grimace.

"Yeah, Agent Hobbes is in the car. He said he'll be out in a sec or two. He had to get something," Bane explained, stepping away from the others, choosing to isolate himself a little more.

"What I want to know" Everest drawled, still holding Neo's tablet ransom, "Is how Mr. Magic is supposed to learn his skills? Last time I checked, normal humans aren't magical." Lupe sighed, rolling his eyes a little.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"Enough chatting, let's just start working out or something," Anubis suggested, sensing the same as Amy- that another fight would be inevitable. Anubis threw Lupe a knowing glance.

"In that case… An, you're with me. We haven't spared in a while," Everest gave a laugh. He tossed the tablet into the air. Neo lunged for it, but he fell short.

"No!" He said futilely. But before the tablet could hit the ground, it stopped. Everyone's eyes were trained on the tablet. Amelia cautiously changed her gaze to Lupe.

Lupe stood awkwardly, half crouching down, one pale arm extended. His hand was open-palmed, his fingers splayed towards the direction of the device. Amy swore she saw Lupe's typically green eyes flash red for the briefest of moments. Lupe was breathing heavily.

"Neo… go get your device before I lose concentration and this falls…" Lupe said quietly. Neo obeyed, grabbing the device from midair. Lupe collapsed with a sigh of relief.

"T-thanks," Neo said with a confused smile. He turned the device over a few times, checking it for scratches.

"Show off," Everest muttered.

**7.**

Anubis entered the boxing ring, without the gloves. Everest did the same. "Same rules as usual?" She asked him. He nodded.

"Go!" He said with a devious grin.

Anubis circled him slowly, before snaking out a quick kick to knock her brother off his feet. Everest jumped up, dodging it easily. He lunged forward and attempted a side jab. Anubis noticed it and stepped out of the way before retaliating with a swift punch. Everest caught it in one hand, containing the force to a small area.

"You pack quite a punch there, sis," Everest noticed, still holding her fist. Anubis grunted, freeing the hand. She bent down to the ground and kicked the feet out from under him.

"You got distracted, Ev. You losing your touch?" she taunted.

"Never!" He replied. He took a few steps back and in the blink of an eye, he had jumped over Anubis, and was standing behind her. By the time she had successfully done a 180, she received a hard punch to the gut. With a shock, she stumbled backwards. The breath was knocked out of her and her eyes swirled. She felt this intense power rising in her.

She didn't notice what she was doing, and her vision went black as she fell to the ground. When she stood up, and her vision finally returned, Everest lay crumbled against the closest wall. The strings of the boxing ring were broken. A path of destruction led from where he had stood moments ago, to the shattered wall closest to them. Everest moaned in pain.

"W-what happened?" Anubis asked, fear apparent in her voice. Amelia turned towards her, her eyes wide with shock.

"When he punched you," she started to explain. "Your eyes glowed bright blue. Not just the normal- the entire eye. And… then your hands turned blue as well… And… you… you … blasted him into the wall with beams of blue light."

**In Italy…**

They arrived at the airport, barely in time to make their flight.

"And now to brave the ticket counters," Bruce sighed, carrying his small suitcase of luggage. Yvonne only gave him a knowing smile and stood in the line. Luckily, the line was long but fast moving, and they arrived rather quickly at the counter.

"Reservation for Yvonne Rupert," Yvonne said smoothly, giving the name of one of her many aliases. The woman nodded, typing a few words in her computer. Two tickets printed out on the side, and the woman handed them to her.

"Are those carry-on or check-in bags?" She asked.

"They're both carry-on," Yvonne said firmly. Checking them in would only take up more time, and delay them once they got to America. S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably already hot on her trails searching for her. By the time the lengthy flight was over, they'd most likely be waiting at the airport.

"Then have a nice flight!"

Yvonne wheeled her bag to the security line, and Bruce followed her cautiously. There were so many people here. His small town only had a few thousand, and he saw maybe only one or two walking around a day. Here he was surrounded.

"Deep breaths," he muttered to himself. Yvonne turned.

"What did you say, Bruce?"

"Oh, nothing," Bruce lied. They both entered the security line. Yvonne had an annoyed look on her face as the TSA agents insisted on patting her down. However, Bruce managed to escape with his dignity intact.

He stopped after passing through security, a thought dawning on his face. He placed a hand on Yvonne's shoulder. "Wait… you had reserved two tickets? How did you know I would come along?" Bruce asked.

"Let's just say I had faith you would make the right decision," she said with a smile, and they walked up to their gate.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Oops! Link was dead. Just add a i47 to the beginning. I'm an idiot. Sorry for the wait, I am really busy! But hopefully I'll get the next one out soon! Thanks for the reviews, and I'd love to get some more *hint hint*. I'm still working on that oneshot. It's going to be quiiiiite long. So yes. REVIEWS. ~Jazzy

P.S. 75 reviews = picture of Tryst!

**Chapter 11: Deadlier Than You Ever Imagined**

**2.**

Lupe ran over to the shocked girl, who stood at the edge of the boxing ring. Her arms were visibly shaking. Anubis forced her eyes closed, but before she did, Lupe caught a glimpse of them. The irises were a brilliant blue, the whites were still fading into a milky shade from the azure they had been only a few seconds earlier.

_Help… me… _she whispered into Lupe's mind. He stepped over the broken ring strings. He placed a hand on her shoulder. _I… I don't know how I did it…_

Lupe paused. _We'll find out. It's okay._

_I'm a monster… _she said. Lupe saw small tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Amelia and Bane were at Everest's side. Everest himself was moaning in pain, probably over-exaggerating at the amount of pain he was actually experiencing.

_No, you're not. Stop thinking like that…_ Lupe ran his fingers through his hair.

She breathed deeply, stepping away from him. His hand fell from her shoulder. She stepped out of the boxing ring and sat herself down on the nearest bench. Lupe cautiously walked towards Everest.

"You okay?" Lupe asked. Everest looked up at him with a glare that could shoot lasers. His red hair matched the fiery personality he was exhibiting. Lupe noticed several small cuts lining the teen's body, and he was covered in a small powder from the drywall. Everest was barely able to sit up. Bane held up his back, and Amelia whipped out her cellphone.

"Who do I need to call? The ambulance?" She asked worriedly. "Or maybe S.H.I.E.L.D.? They should probably know about this…"

"I already notified S.H.I.E.L.D.," Neo said, approaching them, he set down his tablet on a side table. "The agent should be on his way, with a first aid kit."  
"I think we're going to need something a bit bigger than a band aid for this," Lupe raised one eyebrow.

"Do you have any better suggestions?" Amelia said, her voice firm and with a hint of vehemence. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was a determined girl, and always itching to be in charge. Lupe could read her like a book. She was nervous.

"Unfortunately not. I haven't learned enough magic to heal him," he shrugged in response.

"What about that trick with my tablet?" Neo said, bending down to check Everest, who groaned loudly. Everest's eyes flickered shut. Neo examined his shirt. There was a large burn mark near the center. Anubis's beams of light had singed her brother. His injury was far worse than anyone had originally thought.

"That was instinctual and it didn't last long anyway…" Lupe frowned. The elevator door opened with a ding. A rather unintimidating man stepped out. He was barely as tall as Lupe, who was nearly 6', and was of a slight build. He had pale skin, black hair, slightly squinted eyes, and no sign of any athletic ability.

"You're our trainer?" Neo asked politely.

The man nodded. Bane nodded respectfully to the man, because he obviously knew him. Right behind him was a younger woman, who entered carrying a first aid kit. "Where's the patient?" She asked with a small laugh. Once she saw the condition Everest was in, however, her laugh faded away.

She was taller than the man and had short and straight red hair. She couldn't be a doctor, since she only wore a grey pencil skirt and a pale pink shirt, and no uniform whatsoever. Freckles dotted her cheeks and her eyes were a faded grey. She was probably a little younger than the man, but it was clear that they knew each other.

"Over here," Amelia said worriedly. "You're a doctor?"

The woman laughed and shook her head. "Far from it. But I did learn basic first aid two years ago at the local YMCA…. I don't suppose that means much in this situation…" Everest then took the chance to groan as loud as humanly possible.

"OWWWW THE PAIINNNN. IT'S UNBEEEARRABLLEE…" He flailed. The woman ran over to him as fast as she could in her long heels. Lupe went closer to where the small group had gathered. Bane was now away, talking to the man.

"Now… this may sting a little…" The woman warned.

"Tell my mother I love her…" Everest closed his eyes dramatically.

"If you're being funny, I don't think you're that badly hurt, Barton," Lupe clucked.

"Shut up, Lokison," Everest replied, his face turning from pain to seriousness. "JESUS!" He yelped, as the woman poured some sort of antibiotic on his smaller cuts. "THAT EFFING HUUUUUURTS."

"Now I'm going to have to examine this burn…" she mused. She took off his shirt, and looked at the wound. The skin was darkened and burnt in parts, but there was no penetration. As one of her hands touched it, Everest yelled again.

"STOP TOOOOUCHING ME!"

"Stop being such a baby," Anubis walked from the bench over to her brother. "You're such a wimp."

"Oh yeah?" Everest said, his attention now diverted. In fact, he was so distracted, he forgot to yell about the pain he was experiencing. _Thank you… _Lupe whispered into Anubis' mind.

_You're welcome… _and she smiled.

But then something caught Lupe's attention… the woman… her hands were glowing the faintest of pink colors, and the wound she was tending was slowly healing. The flesh turned into a more pale color, and the blackened skin started to recede.

"Wait…" Lupe frowned. "You… _have magic_?!"

**7.**

_I am an awful person… _Anubis thought worriedly. However, she masked a smile over her face, containing any drop of doubt that appeared on her features. She cracked her knuckles, an anxious habit she just couldn't break, and looked down at her brother. Somehow, the woman was able to… magically heal him.

"Yes," the woman said calmly. "I am one of the few humans who can practice 'magic.'"

"But how?" Anubis asked cautiously. The woman turned to her and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Years ago, planet Earth made connections with the planet called Asgard…" she started. Tryst hopped up, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"I AM FROM ASG-" she began to boom, but the woman coolly interrupted her.

"I know," she smiled softly, giving one last look at Everest's burn. It had nearly disappeared, the only remains of the burn was an angry red mark on his chest. Everest sighed in relief. "Asgard gave us some of their old tomes, which contained basic magical arts. Those humans who had a small internal magical gift could now tap into it, thanks to the books. I just happened to be one of those humans." She shrugged. Lupe raised an eyebrow.

"What's your name?" He asked her. Anubis bent down to check her brother.

"You okay?" She asked him in a whisper. He blinked his eyes a few times and coughed.

"Yeah, feeling better. But what about you? Are you okay?"

Anubis stopped. "What do you mean? You're the one who just broke the wall with your body…"

Everest gave her the look. The look that just clearly said, 'I know what I'm talking about.' "I mean," he paused to cough again. "You just used some sort of magical beam of light to injure your brother unintentionally- well I at least hope unintentionally. That's got to have some… repercussions." He wheezed ever so slightly.

"I'll be fine." She lied.

"You better be. Don't you have a date tomorrow?" Everest attempted to waggle his eyebrows, but to no avail.

"Shut up, how did you know that?!" Anubis squealed. "You've been spying on me, haven't you!"

Everest smirked. "I know everything."

"Whatever," Anubis rolled her eyes. Luckily her vision had returned, only everything seemed much clearer now. Instead of seeing just normal things, it was like her eyes were now seeing in HD. However… she could see the faintest of white light in certain areas. Hovering over Everest was a pale shroud, and Lupe had white sparks coming out of him, while the woman, whose name was Lyrene Osmond, was glowing a pale white.

Lyrene approached Anubis as she brushed drywall off of herself. "You're Anubis Barton, correct?" She asked. Anubis nodded in reply. "Well, I was only supposed to see Lupe about his magic, but it looks like I might just have to teach you too…" Lyrene glanced around the room. "The sooner the better."

**1.**

Everest hurt. There was no eloquent way to put it. While his wound itself had healed, he still felt pretty awful. His chest was throbbing, and his ears were buzzing. He tried to stand himself up, but just managed to fall back down. Tryst noticed his plight, and offered a hand to help him up.

"Thanks," he grunted.

"IT HAS BEEN NO EFFORT ON MY BEHALF, SON OF CLINT," Tryst said theatrically. But then again, everything Tryst said sounded like it had just come out of Shakespeare's plays.

Everest brushed through his hair, looking at himself in one of the full-wall mirrors. His typically red hair was a dull grey, covered in drywall and a fine coat of powder. Same went for his clothes. His shirt was discarded in one corner. He limped over to it, and picked it up. Before putting it on, he walked over to Amelia. If he was shirtless, he might as well take advantage of it. He had a six-pack, which had taken nearly 2 solid years of core workouts to attain. And gosh-darnit, he was going to use it.

"Hey," he said, as he approached Amy.

"Are you alright?" She asked him. Her eyes widened as she noticed the amount of clothes he was wearing.

"Yeah," he said dismissively. "Like what you see?" He raised one eyebrow, ignoring the pain it gave him.

She pursed her lips. "Put on a shirt Barton, and get to work." Then she walked away. _That didn't go as planned, _Everest thought bitterly. Then he noticed where Amy had gone… she was now standing next to the last person he wanted her to be standing next to… the tall, dark, and pale son-of-a-Frost-Giant himself…. Lupe Lokison. Well, it could've been worse. Lupe and Anubis could have been talking… However, Everest really didn't want the magical teen to be talking to the girl that Everest was interested in.

He strutted over to the two, but didn't say a word. Instead he casually assumed a seat on a nearby bench, taking a lengthy sip of Gatorade. He listened in on the conversation…

"Look, I'm sorry about my dad, the other day…" Amelia said, curling a piece of her hair around one finger. Lupe looked down.

"No, it's okay. I suppose I better get used to it now."

"If it helps, he's just really overprotective of me. I'm sure once he gets to know you, he'll know-"

"-That I'm not an evil alien bent on destroying everything he loves?" Lupe said resentfully. Amelia stepped a bit closer.

"I know you're not like that! In fact, I'm sure everyone here knows you're not like that! Someone shouldn't be judged because of their parents." Amelia said. "I was always treated differently at school because of my father. People either were too afraid to talk to me, or wanted to use me for their own purposes. I just got sick of it," she sighed.

Everest stood up and stretched, pain rocketing through his nerves. He just couldn't listen anymore. He was tired of hearing Lupe's smooth voice talking to her. Maybe there was more to Lupe. But if so, Everest wasn't interested in learning it.

As far as he was concerned, Lupe was just another threat to eliminate.

**5.**

"Okay," the man said. Tryst stood next to him, Amelia, Bane, and Neo were next to her. Everest was sitting out nearby, muttering some strange Midgardian words under his breath into his beverage. "I'm Agent Nato, and I will be teaching you basic self-defense and weaponry. Including various forms of tae kwon do, jujitsu, gun shooting, and knife throwing. If there is anything else you have a particular penchant for, I can also teach that."  
"Um," Neo hesitated. "Why do I need to learn this? If I'm ever in combat, I have Mach 1."

The Agent looked at Neo directly, and Tryst was glad she was not the recipient of his gaze. If looks could kill, the son of Tony would be long dead. "I am here to make sure that if you get put in a dangerous situation, say one in which your suit is inoperable, that you do not die." He said each word slowly and with emphasis. "Unless you want to die, you will listen to me."

"Understood."

The Agent accepted this, and continued. "Now I would like to know if any of you has previous experience with combat techniques. I know the Bartons have, but since one's injured and the other one's magic, they will not be fighting. Which is a shame, I could use some experienced fighters…" he added quietly. "Each one now."

Tryst wanted to go first. She typically wanted to go first in everything. She was a warrioress of Asgard, who never backed down and always rode into danger. Going first was in her blood, and Odin's fury on anyone who denied her that. "I have not had very much experience, however I have trained with Mjolnir!" She beamed, extending out one hand so her hammer flew to her. It managed to knock over a small table in its flight to its owner, which landed with a large crash.

"Okay, you're a beginner then," The Agent said.

Bane glanced around, then said, "Me? Not really. I never did much in S.H.I.E.L.D… You'd know." The Agent nodded slowly.

"You'll be with Tryst."

"I suppose I'm next…" Neo frowned. "No combat, put me in beginner."  
Then Amelia was left. "I've been trained in basic combat since I was young. I'm not exceptionally skilled right now, but I am very athletic and I learn quickly."

"You'll be an intermediate then," the Agent decided. "Now let's begin. Everyone drop and give me 50 pushups!"

Neo groaned loudly, flopping on to the ground. Bane laid down and slowly started to do something, while Amelia was doing the something really fast, and was already nearly done.

"Excuse me," Tryst said. "Agent, what is this… 'upping of pushing'?"

The Agent sighed. "Let's just start from the beginning now…"

**In the air…**

Bruce Banner closed his eyes, his hand resting on the small bottle of water that had been placed on his tray. Yvonne glanced over at him. She could see his arms shaking ever so slightly. "You okay?" She asked casually. The man opened his eyes, a little more than startled.

"Y-yeah." He stuttered. "I just don't enjoy being in an airborne pressurized container."

Yvonne nodded knowingly. "Bad memories?"

"Something like that."


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Luckily, I know the next few plot bits. Unfortunately, they just aren't being… written. I've been busy! And if I need to cred up my excuses, my birthday _is_ coming up. So… yeah. xD What I'd love for my birthday is reviews… and to celebrate the success we've had so far, next chapter I want something from you.

Your questions!

Yup, please review or PM me with your burning questions I know you possess about the series. I know you have them. I won't give away big portions of the plot though. Here's the catch- write them for certain characters in the story, so they can answer them! For example, you can ask Lupe his favorite color, or about parts of Amy's childhood. Whatever. Have fun. I'll answer them all next chapter! Thanks! ~Jazzy

P.S. It's a short chapter. I'm well aware.

**Chapter 12: Angry Green Rage Monster**

**3.**

Amelia quickly finished her pushups, and stood up, brushing off the fine layer of dust that had already started to gather on her knees. She glanced at the others. Bane was struggling a little, his upper-arm strength was lacking. Tryst, once she had gotten the basic motions down, was doing quite well. She had obviously done a lot of arm workouts back on Asgard. And Neo… well. It was clear that exercise was simply not his forte. After only half of his pushups, he just laid down on the ground and gave up.

Amy walked over to him. "You feeling okay, Stark?" She asked politely. Neo winced, and sat himself up.

"Yeah, I'm just not really the b-"

"Stark!" Neo's eyes widened. Agent Nato had noticed his slacking off and was clearly unhappy. "If you're having trouble with doing a few measly pushups, I shudder to imagine the state of your physical endurance… There are very few rules that I have." Amelia took a few steps back, letting Nato address Neo personally. "The most important is this…. Don't give up. If I tell you to do 50 pushups, you are going to do them. You're not going to stop halfway. Do you understand?"

Neo nodded meekly.

"Now do the rest of them," Nato commanded. He turned to the rest of the group. "Now I want you all to do some suicides, from this line," he pointed to a nearby black line, "to the nearest three other lines. Any questions?"

Tryst looked shocked. "WHY DO WANT ME TO TAKE MY OWN LIFE?!" She asked incredulously. "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!"

Amelia stepped next to the Asgardian princess and tapped her on the shoulder. "Tryst," she said gently, "Suicides are the name of an exercise drill. The Agent doesn't mean for you to actually kill yourself." The girl looked incredibly relieved.

"HIGHEST OF THANKS TO YOU, DAUGHTER OF STEVE," She said.

"No problem," Amelia smiled. "So you just run to the first line, then run back here. Then you run to the second line and back, then the third and back."

Tryst nodded, and then they were off. Amelia found the drill easy, going barely faster than a hard jog. Yet she was passing everyone. Tryst, after being a little confused, was right behind her.

Once they had finished, Neo was panting, barely able to catch his breath. "We only did one, Neo. Why are you so tired?" Amelia asked, taking a sip of water from a plastic bottle she had brought with her.

Neo looked up at her strangely. "First off," he said in between deep breaths. "You're a genetically engineered super-soldier. You don't get tired easily. You could run for days." He offered no explanation for his knowledge, so Amelia guessed it was a combination of knowledge his father had taught him, and knowledge he had read on the internet. "And second off, I'm not an athlete. I spend my free time building machines and reading. Pardon me." He frowned, grabbing a bottled water.

"Well I am enjoying this Midgardian training greatly," Tryst said with a wide smile. "When shall we be taught the combative drills? I am greatly looking forward to learning Midgardian warfare techniques!"

And even though they were tired, they still found themselves erupting into breathy laughter over Tryst's hopeless Asgardian speech patterns.

**2.**

Lyrene sat on a bench in front of Lupe and Anubis, who sat on the ground nearby. She had brought only a few books with her, which lay next to her. While she was talking, she held on tightly to a small stone that was on her necklace.

"What's that for?" Lupe asked suddenly, interrupting Lyrene's discussion of magical theory and breathing. "The stone, I mean."

Lyrene smiled a little. "Very observant I see, that's good." Lupe shrugged. "It's for channeling magic. You see, many types of magic require objects to help manifest the magic itself. Some people choose wands, staffs, amulets… I just chose this rock to help me. I always felt connected with it," Lyrene explained. "It's very important if you want to use a blasting type magic especially. And typically it makes your magic stronger, in general. Maybe in a few days, we'll help get you both some to start with."

Lupe rifled through his pockets and pulled out his silver pen, with the emerald green ink and writing. "I think I already have one…" he muttered.

"Let me see," Lyrene said, reaching out and taking the pen. She ran her hands over the small surface. "I think this is far more than an ordinary pen…"

Lupe nodded and took it back. Then, he simply clicked the top of it, and the pen transformed into his long golden staff. He grinned as it settled, and the blue orb returned. It hummed slightly, and the whole staff was covered in fine white lines, which Lyrene had explained were part of the magic sight that most magic-bearers received. Anubis looked at Lupe in awe.

Even Lyrene seemed impressed. "Well, you're just filled with the unexpected, aren't you?" She laughed lightly. "Where'd you get that from? It's extraordinary…" She reached out a hand, and touched the surface. The staff hummed a little, with energy radiating from it.

Lupe frowned slightly. "It was my fathers," he said awkwardly. That managed to sufficiently crush the remainder of the conversation. No one really wanted to talk about Loki.

Anubis coughed, sensing her friends discomfort. "Erm, Lyrene… can you explain more about the magicial bonding techniques? I'm confused about the partiality bits."

_Thank you, _Lupe said in his mind.

_No problem, _Anubis replied, keeping a straight face in front of Lyrene, who was distracted telling her more about magical ratios. _Us wizards have to stick together after all._

_Wizards? _He snorted.

_I could have said 'bearers of magic' but it didn't sound as cool… _she shrugged.

_…Wizards. I like it. It's catchy, even if misleading, _he grinned a little.

**6.**

For the first time in a long time… Bane was happy.

As he found himself surrounded by new acquaintances, he talked and was talked to. People his own age wanted to associate with him. They found him interesting, and actually seemed to care about his feelings. And maybe he was having a hard time working out, but at least he was doing something instead of sitting around, useless, in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. He was finally allowed to learn useful things.

Amelia was a nice girl, and cared for the group. Neo was a bit awkward, but he had a kind heart and a quick mind. And Tryst… she was the most beautiful person Bane had ever seen. Yes, she talked strangely and didn't quite… grasp humanity… but she was a fast learner and funny and…

Bane felt something strange. He hadn't really ever felt it before. As he talked to Tryst, he felt… comfortable. Like he had around Yvonne when he was younger. Tryst was different than anyone he had ever seen. The way she talked was so interesting. Even the way her blonde hair fell into her face was intriguing to him.

He felt so many things he had never been able to before. Something had to be wrong or different or something… he was feeling things, and they were wonderful. Why had S.H.I.E.L.D. inhibited him before? Why didn't they let him feel something for once? If it felt this good…

Bane quickly ran his fingers through his short curly hair, sitting down. They had just completed some stretches, and Nato promised they would be starting the combat training soon.

The group was laughing and having fun. After a few minutes, Nato taught them a few basic moves for self-defense. Mainly blocks and some ground advice on defense in general. Bane found his mind wandering, as his hands robotically moved through the motions. He ached a little in his legs and arms, and his core was sore from the pushups he had done earlier. He severely hoped he would get into shape soon…

What Bane didn't see was that Nato was going through the group, attacking them to check the accuracy of their blocks. So, when Nato finally got over to him, Bane was unprepared.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and before he knew it, Nato's hand was directly in front of his eyes, held motionless in front of them. While Nato wasn't going to strike, Bane was unaware. And even the sudden motion caught him off guard.

Bane's reflexes kicked in, and he jumped backwards from the movement. His heart rate increased, and his breathing deepened. He was pretty sure he yelled something, before his mind went completely blank. The happiness, the surprise, the feeling of it all had finally made its mark, and Bane lost control.

His mind emptied of all thoughts, and he felt himself shifting. His bones were growing larger, his eyesight turned cloudy, he felt his muscles stretching. Then it all went away.

His mind was consumed with a single thought….

_Smash._

**In the airport…**

As they exited the plane, Bruce suddenly stopped in the middle of the airport hallway. Yvonne nearly ran into him, before she noticed his abrupt halt. His eyes were closed tightly, and his fists were clenched.

"Bruce?" Yvonne asked, walking in front of him. "What's wrong?" His eyes opened and were a startlingly bright green. "…Bruce?"  
He breathed heavily. "I'm… sensing something…"

"What?" Yvonne said, worry in her voice.

"I can feel it…" He stopped, shutting his eyes. "I can feel Bane and he's lost control…"

Yvonne looked at him seriously, "We need to leave. Now."


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **I'll release the bonus review picture soon. Mainly because there's a whole lot of Q's to cover here. Nearly 1000 words worth. Gosh guys, thanks. :) ~Jazzy

P.S. Please keep on reviewing, you all are great!

**Questions! (thanks to Loki'd, Bookworm290, and The273mileRunner for the Q's!)**

_Tryst, what does your half-immortal/half-human heritage mean for you? (Long life, hard to harm, etc.?)?_

Tryst: Well, like any Asgardian, it is hard to injure me, but because of my mortal mother I can be killed. My father informs me that at this rate, I will live twice the normal lifespan as a mortal. However, since I am taking the Trial of Idunn, hopefully I will partake of the apples of Immortality, and become immortal as my mother has. I can assume that my cousin also retains these basic benefits of half-Asgardian parentage.

Lupe: What? What are we talking about? I wasn't listening…?

Tryst: Cousin, we were discussing Asgard!

Lupe: …Oh…

_Lupe, have people always been slightly wary of you, even while you were growing up, or is this something you're learning to deal with only now, now that you know who your father is?_

Lupe: I haven't had people really be scared or wary of me before. But since I did grow up without a dad, people would be a bit more cautious around me. I think they didn't want to mention the absence of my father. But people being antagonistic towards me is definitely a new thing.

_Bane, how much do you know about Bruce? I assume you've never met, but have you seen pics/vids?_

Bane: I knew a little about him. Yvonne had a few pictures of them, and S.H.I.E.L.D. would show me some pictures of the Hulk. Sometimes Yvonne would share a few memories she had of Bruce, but only rarely. He's a bit of a mystery to me.

_Amy, what were your first impressions of your new teammates, and how have they changed/stayed the same since then?_

Amelia: Hm…. Well when I first met Neo, I thought he was a nice, albeit shy, guy. And so far he hasn't proven me wrong. Anubis seemed headstrong and seemed to keep her brother in check, which she still does. And I hate to say this, but I thought Everest would be a major jerk. However, he isn't nearly as bad as I thought. But he is a flirt.

Everest: You know you like it. *wags eyebrows*

Lupe: Everest- leave the girl alone. You've got your own questions.

Everest: Fine. Spoilsport.

Amelia: *ahem* As I was saying… I thought Bane was a bit aloof and disconnected. But when I learned about the meds, it really helped me understand. He's pretty nice, and I'm sure one day he'll learn to control his emotions without external help. Lupe… I'll admit, at first I was a bit wary of him. However, he's nothing like his father. Living in a father's shadow is something I can understand, so I'm not going to judge him for Loki's misdeeds. And finally there's Tryst. I thought she was loud… She still is.

_Everest, are your school friends aware that your parents are master assassins and SHEILD agents (ex-agents?)?_

Everest: Haha… No. Y'see, Anubis and I go to this uber-special private school, and you have to be pretty rich and/or influential to get in. We actually have a cover story there, that our parents are some sort of diplomats… and yeah.

Anubis: You mean you don't remember our cover story?! You idiot!

Everest: Psh… I'm fine. Besides, I'll be out of that joint in a year. And our friends don't know a thing. If they did know… that'd be bad. *laughs*

_Neo, is Pepper considered your mom the way Tony is your dad? Did you have a 'normal' family life growing up (dinners together, holidays celebrated, etc.)?_

Neo: Well, I always considered her my mother, even though she and Tony aren't married yet. However, in 6 months they will be. I suppose I had a normalish childhood. Considering the fact that my dad is a genius and a billionaire and occasionally a superhero… Pepper always tried to get us to hang out together as a family. Which occasionally meant dragging me and dad out of our labs to eat.

_Anubis, how much did you hear about the Avengers saving the day while you were growing up (at home, at school, in the community, etc.)?_

Anubis: A lot more than I was comfortable with. But I got used to it. But by the time I was actually able to talk fluently, the Avengers had broken up-

Everest: Don't talk about those days, An. Remember?  
Anubis: Yeah… As I was saying, I heard a lot of it even after those events. Mainly about 'how this would never have happened if the Avengers had just…' And that stuff. *shrugs*All my friends were obsessed with them at one point or another. I had this one friend who really liked Hawkeye. I stopped hanging out with her after awhile. It was… weird.

_Everest, do you play any sports at school?_

Everest: Kinda. I never was into baseball, football, or basketball. So I never was able to do any real sports at school. But outside of school I did tae kwon do, aikido, karate, some wrestling and boxing, and learned some basic knife throwing and gun shooting from my mom.

_Neo, do you get along well with your adopted father?_

Neo: I get along well enough. We're really different. He's a bit more outgoing and loves to hear himself talk. I'm a bit more reserved. However, we both share a love for technology, which usually transcends the differences between us.

_Tryst, what are your brothers like?_

Tryst: It is a very lengthy tale to describe them fully. But Zeph and Zane are exceedingly energetic. They enjoy disturbing me and my companions when training. They are 6 years old currently. It is only a matter of time until they're crowned. I believe they will be the twin gods of wind or something. It is fitting, for they are fast and flighty. My father loves them, they must remind him of himself.

_Lupe, what are your hobbies?_

Lupe: Well, before all this craziness happened, I had a few things I liked to do. I never liked sports, so I stayed away from those. I loved playing a good game of chess and was pretty good with a rubix cube.

Tryst: Cousin, what is this Cube of Rubix?

Lupe: …It's like a puzzle, Tryst. I also loved to read a good book in my spare time, and my mom insisted on me taking a bunch of extra college classes all the time.

_Amelia, why don't you like soda?_

Amelia: It's just too fizzy and sugary and caffeinated. *shudders* I much prefer apple juice or water…

_Anubis, what kind of music do you like?_

Anubis: I love upbeat music, especially whenever I'm working out. Anything with a good beat, typically pop music, sometimes I listen to techno.

Everest: And Justin Bieber.

Anubis: DO NOT! Don't insult me like that!

_Bane, how were you schooled?_

Bane: I never was able to go to a school with people in it, because of my condition. So I was homeschooled by Yvonne and a few private tutors.

Everest: Ah! So that's why you're so antisocial.

Bane: Uh, no. That's because I never met anyone my age, because S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let me. It has nothing to do with being homeschooled.

Everest: Pfft, sure.

Amelia: Erm… I'm homeschooled.

Everest: *eye twitches* Errrr….. forget that.

Lupe, have you ever thrown a knife?

Lupe: Nope! But I have carried a pocketknife around before. I didn't really grow up in the best of neighborhoods, so I saw fit to protect myself. Luckily I never had to actually use it…

* * *

**Chapter 13: Father and Son? Try Man and Clone**

**At the airport…**

"I don't suppose you brought a car?" Bruce asked Yvonne hurriedly, both of them dragging their luggage behind them as fast as possible, heading towards the airport's exit.

"No, I had to ditch my car, and I can't use one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s…" she frowned. The automatic door slid open. "But don't worry, I'll take care of it." She ran up to one of the taxis lined up in front of the airport, and hopped in the one that was first. An annoyed man quickly complained, but was shoved out of the way by Yvonne.

"Hey! You can't do that!" The man shouted, as Yvonne tossed his luggage out of the cab. The cab driver stood up.

"Yes I can," Yvonne said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a S.H.I.E.L.D. ID. She then grabbed a few hundred dollars bills and gave it to the man. "I work for the government, and I need this vehicle." She turned to the cab driver. "Your services are not required," she said. "Bruce- put your stuff in the back, we need to leave, stat."

She hopped into the driver's seat that was vacated by the taxi driver, who was just now realizing that his vehicle was being stolen. Bruce quickly placed the suitcases in the back seat, and sat in the passenger seat before the cab driver could come to his senses.

"You can't do this!" The cab driver yelled, "You cannot steal my cab!"

"Here," she said hurriedly. "Just take this, I'll return the cab later," and threw more money at him, before speeding off towards downtown.

As she entered the freeway, Bruce turned to her. "Wow Yvonne…" he said, his voice impressed. "I didn't know you had that in you…"

She shrugged. "Bane means the world to me. I have to go save him." She pressed the accelerator, going way over the speed limit. "He's like my son. And a parent would do anything for their child…"

**6.**

Bane's mind was completely cleared, for once in his life. The sedatives would only fog up his mind, making his emotions inaccessible, and his mind dulled. Now, he felt whole.

He could see everything clearly, and although he couldn't process thought very well, he immediately sensed everyone here was a foe. A boy with glasses looked at him helplessly, "Bane… calm down… you have to calm down…" he said, his voice shaking. Who was this person? Why did he know his name?

Bane snarled at him, stretching out his muscles. He could feel his hair brush the ceiling. Inside of him, he could feel his rage and sadness boiling. All the emotions he once suppressed were being unleashed. All the years that he had dulled his feelings down… all the times he had wished to feel something… now he could. His life was clear now. And that clarity was priceless, even if he lost himself…

And he was finding himself at the same time. Yes, he'd changed a few times, but that was when he was young. He could barely remember it. But changing this time… he greeted the Hulk like he was an old friend. Although the smallest part of Bane struggled. It told him to stop.

_These people are your friends, _Bane argued softly in his mind.

_Hulk has no friends, _he snarled back.

_Stop this, this isn't you! You are so much more than this! Don't give in to your feelings! _Bane's voice protested.

_And life with S.H.I.E.L.D. is better? No feelings?_

Bane paused. _Maybe they went too far… But it was for the public's safety! You can kill people like this, and you'll only regret it later… Please… go back._

_No._

_…What?_

_No. _Hulk repeated. _Hulk never comes out. It's Hulk's turn now…_

He took a step forward. Cautiously testing out his weight.

The building was strong. It held up. Now Bane didn't have the time to wonder why it physically held, but obviously it was built to hold up against something as weighty as himself. He looked around the room at the young humans who were there.

A flash of red caught his attention. One of the humans had red hair, and seemed to be injured. Good. Easier target than the one with the glasses. Bane gave a roar, before stomping over. The boy tripped and stumbled, all while limping along. He jumped over a broken ring, and tried to push some weight over in Bane's path, but it was all futile. He couldn't run from Bane for long…

_Stop! These are your friends! Don't do this to yourself… _Bane's voice returned.

_Go away, _Hulk dismissed Bane.

"Ev!" A girl shouted. "Watch out!" However, it was too late. The boy was running out of room, and was backed against the wall. Bane vaguely noticed an older human trying to attack him. It was little more than a tickle.

Bane reached out for the boy, and grasped him, preparing to fling him against the wall. But he was stopped when suddenly a beam of bright light caught him in the chest. He dropped his catch and looked for the source of the light. The girl who had shouted earlier was streaming the light from her hands. It didn't really hurt Bane much, but it was an irritant he had to get rid of.

He walked over towards her, waving his hands to get rid of the light. With one grand swoop, he pushed out his hand, and knocked the girl over, watching as she hit the ground. The light was gone.

Somewhere deep inside his mind, Bane was crying.

**1.**

Everest laid on the ground, unmoving. His ribs felt crushed and he was breathing raggedly. Somewhere, he could hear the screams of Anubis. He tried to get up, but only felt himself falling back down. The woman from earlier ran over to him.

"We need to get you out of here," she said quickly.

"-Bhert… An-Anu…Bis…" He said feebly.

"Don't worry, Nato's got it. She won't get hurt," she promised. She quickly lifted him up, Everest wasn't sure how, and carried him out, to a more secluded corner of the room, before pressing the elevator button.

Everest could feel himself slowly drifting away, his mind falling into unconsciousness. _Stop it, fainting is too wussy for you to do! Think of Anubis! _But it was futile. The stress and pain being experienced by his body was too much for him to bear, and he slipped into oblivion…

**4.**

Neo was desperately trying to take control of the situation. Agent Nato had a handgun, why he had been carrying one in the first place, Neo wasn't sure. Wasn't Nato supposed to be a martial arts master? As the older man discharged his weapon against Bane, which was extremely ineffective, Neo helped the others get to a safer place.

"Anubis! You need to get out of there!" He yelled.

"I can't!" She said, her face scrunched up from effort. She continuously shot beams of light at the Hulk, but that plan had backfired, only making the Hulk angrier and more prone to attack her. "If I stop, he goes after you all!"

"You'll die if you keep this up!" Neo rummaged around the room, but in vain. His Mach suit wasn't on this floor. "JARVIS! Call S.H.I.E.L.D., and get my dad up here!" He commanded. The AI quickly set off to do the tasks appointed to him.

"Sir, I have notified both. Master Stark is on his way now," the crisp British voice said. JARVIS was calm, even though chaos surrounded him.

"Daughter of Clint! GET OUT!" Neo spun around to see Tryst push Anubis out of the way, as Hulk swiped at her. Tryst fell harshly on the ground, but stood up quickly, brushing herself off.

"Tryst, what are you-" Lupe started to say, but his cousin interrupted him.

"Cousin! I am stronger than you! I shall distract the mighty beast, while you escort the others to safety!" Tryst bellowed, making sure Anubis got out of the way. Neo ran over to the others, and beckoned them to the front of the room, where the elevator was. Everest and the older woman had already escaped. Neo jammed the elevator button down, and waited with baited breath for the lift to arrive.

As it finally arrived, he ushered the others inside. Amelia was the last one, shouting out advice and tips to Tryst, who was becoming little more than Hulk's punching bag. Lupe had his hands covering his eyes, as Tryst was roughly smashed into the wall. Neo hurriedly pressed the close button and the remaining 4 of them, and Agent Nato, descended into safety.

The last thing he saw before the doors closed was Tryst trying to escape the clutches of Hulk. The boy who only 10 minutes ago they had been laughing and joking around with.

**5.**

Tryst stretched out one hand, willing Mjolnir to come to her. Her body ached more than it ever had before, and she knew if she did this much longer, she couldn't take the strain and her half-mortal body would die.

"Friend Bane! Listen to me!" She said, wincing, quickly dodging a punch from Hulk. He was larger and stronger, but she had speed on her side. "You are no monster! Come back to your senses!" She ducked as a tray of weights went flying above her head.

After far too long a wait, Mjolnir soared into her hand.

She looked at the Hulk, the barest whisper of a smile coming on her face. "Now it's an even fight."

**At S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ…**

"Sir…" An Agent turned around in his swivel chair, facing Nick Fury, who was doing his typical rounds around H.Q., making sure everyone was doing their job. "There's a problem…"

"What?" Fury asked, bending down to see the monitor.

"Bane…" the man stuttered, "He's hulked out."

"What?" Fury said incredulously. His voice raised in volume as he spoke. He took a deep breath. "Send in the Team. We can't risk him destroying the city."

"But sir," The Agent said, "The Hulk can't be destroyed."

Fury looked at him grimly, "Yes… Yes Bane can. And the Team knows how."


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Okay, okay. Yes, it's been awhile since I've updated... So here's my excuse list: 1. My birthday 2. I went to Disney World 3. I was sick 4. Christmas madness. Can you please forgive me now? So yes, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!

P.S. I got an ipad for Christmas, and bought a keyboard for it, so hopefully I can get more writing done!

**Chapter 14: An Unexpected Savior**

**6.**

This strange girl was not like the others, Hulk could tell. She was stronger- much stronger. Even though he attacked her, she still persisted. Then... Something happened that he just couldn't understand. A large hammer was flying towards the girl, who quickly caught it and crouched down.

"Now it's an even fight," she muttered. Hulk glanced at her briefly, then swiped at her. But instead of his fist throwing her into the wall, she stepped back and swung this new hammer.

It hit Hulk before he could even react.

He felt his feet lifting off of the ground and was pushed backwards a few feet. The girl grinned. "Doth thou give up, Bane?" She asked simply. The Hulk roared in response.

Inside his mind, Bane was desperately trying to do something- anything- that could stop the Hulk. However, he had no control over the monster, and his emotions were finally unleashed.

_Please... stop..._ he begged, his voice breaking. But it was futile. He was lost.

The Hulk jumped over to the nearby wall, catapulting off of it, towards the blonde girl. She ran out of the way, throwing her hammer at him. Confused, he caught it- and immediately fell to the ground, dragged by an invisible weight.

This... this didn't make sense. How could something so small be so heavy? No matter, he was strong enough, he would get it. He lifted it up, but it still wouldn't budge.

"Thou are not worthy to carry Mjolnir!" The girl proclaimed loudly, and while struggled to lift the weapon, she quickly summoned a bolt of lightning. It struck him with violent force.

He growled as the electric current raced through his body. He dropped the hammer, and shook his head. Two steps forward, his green eyes were trained on the girl.

He roared as loud as he could, letting all his anger be released in one great bellow. She didn't even flinch...

Hulk, even more enraged then before, rammed into her with full force. She crumpled to the floor like a wilted flower. Her chest didn't rise.

_Please... Tryst... please live... for me..._ Bane begged inside his thoughts.

**At S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ...**

Eric Ulson was not in the happiest of moods today. The one day he's actually called to a mission, it's the worst day of his life. He had spent the past 10 years training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Ops Agent, and every day had been just that- training. Every morning he would wake up, hoping somewhere inside his mind that he'd be out on the field that day, putting his newfound skills into action. Every day would be filled with disappointment.

This particular day started out awful, and was on a roll. He spilled his early morning coffee on himself, staining his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, and had to be sent out for dry cleaning. Then, on the way to work his car broke down. And just for good measure, his wife just sent him a text saying she wanted a divorce.

So when he walked into work that day, he was simply NOT ready or prepared for this. He sat in the Quinjet, armed with a prototype gun and a syringe, pondering his recent life choices. Here he was, sent out to go disable a kid- who was actually an indestructible monster- and on the worst day of his life.

This sucked.

"So he's a... Hulk?" Eric asked through his com.

"Yeah, where were you during the briefings?" An Agent asked, staring at him. The whirr of the Quinjet's engines drowned out most of the sound.

"I had a bad day," he complained.

"Bad day to have a bad day, bro," Another Agent laughed.

"And we have to... take him out?" They nodded. "...But he's indestructible!"

"Not entirely," the first Agent shrugged. "Apparently he was built with a fail-safe. You know the kid's a genetically mutated clone, right?"

"Of course," Eric smirked, happy to have remembered even that.

"Well they did some extra modifications to the Hulk's DNA. He's not technically a direct clone. From what I understand, they added a few strands of DNA- don't ask me how, it's beyond my knowledge- so that if he got out of control, they could 'deactivate' him." The Agent explained.

"'Deactivate'? You mean kill?" Eric asked.

"Not really. It just gets rid of the Hulk I think."

"You think? What does that mean?!"

"Look, Agent, it doesn't matter. We have a job to do." The Agent said.

"No, you look. I want to know what exactly I'm going to do to this kid before I do it. I'm not going to murder an innocent kid!" Eric snapped.

"You have a mission. You've trained for this! You can't just back out now. You do your orders, Agent."

Eric looked over to the man. He blinked. "No."

"...What did you just say?" The Agent asked, incredulously.

"I said 'No.'"

"Are you quitting, Agent?"

Eric paused, giving the whole notion a second of thought. "...Yes. I quit." He closed his eyes, immediately filled with regret.

"Well, this mission will continue- with or without your help. Team- move out!"

On the Highway...

"We won't be able to get there fast enough," Bruce mused, staring out at the cars on the highway.

"I'm already going 30 miles over the speed limit!" Yvonne glared at him. "I can't go much faster in this thing. This cab is a piece of crap..." She paused. "... How is he?"

"I can sense him a little. He's still a Hulk, and still mad. But I'm worried. S.H.I.E.L.D. must know he hulked out, and they'll be doing something about it." Bruce frowned.

"There's nothing they can do, can they? Isn't Hulk indestructible?"

Bruce looked down. "We can only hope..."

**5**.

Blackness. It invaded her vision. Stars swam around her eyes. Tryst opened her eyes. She woke up in a golden hall. Candles flickered around her, illuminating the place she was in. Red curtains draped along the walls. Through stained glass windows, she could see scenery even grander than Asgard's.

...But this was all wrong. She was in Stark Tower... but... now she didn't know where she was.

She stood up and realized she was wearing a long white dress. Her blonde hair was curled and draped around her shoulders. Her feet were barefoot and exposed. The floor was marble, cold and chilling to the touch.

Tryst walked forward, heading towards a large throne centered in the middle of the hallway. A woman sat on the top of the throne. She had long black hair that was incredibly straight. She wore a pale grey gown and had brilliant emerald eyes, that looked similar to Lupe's. A silver crown adorned her head.

"...Hela?" Tryst breathed. The woman glided down from her throne, almost flying.

"Tryst Thordaughter, why are you in my Realm?" Her voice was both soft yet loud, filling the room and echoing off the walls.

"I was fighting and I must have died in combat," she stood proudly. Dying in combat was the greatest honor an Asgardian could have. Hela stepped closer to her, placing a single hand on Tryst's cheek. She was as cold as ice, almost like a Frost Giant.

"It is not yet your time to die, Tryst Thordaughter. Your time has been set since the beginning of time. This is not that day." Tryst stumbled back. She was dead, but somehow she was not supposed to be. Memories flashed behind her eyes... She was falling to the ground, a weight heavy on her chest. A painful sensation... then nothing... Death...

"But I wish to be in Valhalla. If I leave now, I might not get to go... I might not die in battle..." She paused. But it would be good to go back to Midgard. Her father would be upset... Her mother... oh, she could not even imagine what Jane would think! They would be so upset if they knew she was dead.

"I shall make you a deal, Tryst Thordaughter," The Queen of the Dead stated. "You can either give up your destiny and go to Valhalla now, or return to the Realm of the Living, and complete your future. I make no promises of Valhalla if you return..."

Tryst breathed deeply, "Hela, Goddess of the Underworld, I have made my decision..."

**6**.

Amidst the blackness and fog... Hulk could sense something. A pulsating though resounded through his mind. _Calm down... _it whispered, in a voice oh so similar to Bane's. But it wasn't Bane's... it was older, more mature, trustworthy.

He felt something approaching. The voice. Hulk straightened himself out, leaving the girl's body behind. Hulk ignored the cries of Bane, blocking him out completely. He didn't know this girl, she was not a friend... no matter what Bane said.

Hulk took a few steps closer towards the window. He saw a car fast approaching the tower. The voice was coming from there! Hulk growled in anticipation. The car stopped.

A man got out. Hulk peered down at him. The man rushed towards the Tower entrance, the door was wide open. Then the elevator started to buzz.

Then Hulk heard the sound of an engine outside. A large plane soared through the city, until stopping at Stark Tower. The plane soared up to the roof. Hulk had a bad feeling about this.

Hulk paused, and turned to face the silver box. The doors slid open with a chime.

Hulk's first thought was not to smash the newcomer. He knew he could trust him. He was tall and tanned, with curly black hair. Grey streaks started to form in the mix. His eyes were a glowing green, just like the Hulk's...

The man extended his arms out. "Bane... you need to calm down and breathe..." he said. He didn't sound scared. He wasn't scared of the Hulk... But everyone was scared of him.

"B-Bane?" A woman stepped out from the elevator, behind the man. Hulk... recognized her. It was Yvonne!

Suddenly... the mind-fog evaporated. He felt himself shrinking down, and the Hulk disappeared, replaced by Bane. "Yvonne!" He exclaimed, with a slight cough. He ran over to hug her, but then realized his current state of dress.

"Er, here," The man said, handing a blanket over to him. Bane gratefully wrapped it around himself. He couldn't help the tears streaming down his face. Emotions were swirling around him. He breathed deeply. In. Out.

"So you're Bane, huh?" The man asked, giving him a quick look over.

Bane nearly did a double take. "...And I'm... you..." The reality of the situation finally sunk in. "Bruce Banner?"

The man nodded. "That was... quite a show you put on there. I think we have a lot to talk about." Bane silently agreed.

Then he remembered...Tryst.

"Tryst!" He called out, running over to her side. He knelt down beside her, gently picking her up. Her hands were cold. Bane could feel the presence of the two adults behind him.

"...Tryst?" He murmured. "Please... don't be dead... don't..." Another tear fell down his face. If he killed her... he could never forgive himself. And yet her chest was unmoving, her pulse absent. "J-just... don't die..


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note**: Yes, I am listening to the "Final Countdown" while writing this. And many other classic rock songs. By the way- we're SO close to getting 100 reviews! I'm sure we can reach it with this chapter. As a reward, I have a bunch of sketches of the Revengers. Wearing Asgardian armor. Just because. So I'll put those up when we reach it. I also have a few sketches for this chapter, they're at the end of the chapter, since they spoil parts of this chapter. So yeah. Keep it up you guys! Y'all are great! ~Jazzy

P.S. I probably shouldn't be listening to "Another One Bites the Dust" as I write this... it gives me ideas...

**Chapter 15: Expect the Unexpected**

**2.**

Lupe couldn't wait any longer. He stood up from the room where they all had taken refuge.

"Hey, where are you going?" Amelia asked, giving him an inquisitive look.

"I haven't heard the Hulk for a few minutes, and the Quinjet is here. I'm going to go check on Tryst," He stated. He didn't mention to her the sinking feeling present in his chest, or the dread that accompanied it. He had only known her for a day, yet she was almost like family to him.

"Well you aren't going alone," Amelia frowned. "It's too dangerous."

"And you're suggesting you should come with me?" Lupe raised an eyebrow. Amelia humphed.

"Are you doubting my capability to handle the situation?" She countered.

"I wouldn't dream of it..." Lupe sighed, checking his jacket pocket for the pen. Its familiar cold touch greeted his fingertips. "But we should hurry."

She didn't question him, only pushed ahead towards the elevator. "Hm..." she pressed her hand against it. "It's in use."

"Stairs," Lupe nodded, heading towards the emergency exit. "We can't afford to wait for the elevator. It's only a few flights up."

They attacked the stairs and were on their way. Clearly Amelia was in far better shape than Lupe could ever be, and wasn't even breathing heavily when they reached the correct floor. Lupe, on the other hand, was panting. "You need to work out," She said with a smirk.

"I'll add it to my to-do list." He replied sarcastically, then pushed open the door. He had already judged it safe by the lack of smashing noises. The first thing he noticed was the silence that hung like a heavy curtain in the room. Then he noticed Tryst.

Bane gently held her head in his arms, a bedsheet wrapped around himself as makeshift clothes. Lupe ran towards her.

"Tryst?!" He called, dropping to the ground beside her. His eyes turned, unbelieving, towards Bane. "You... you..." he stuttered. "You... killed her..." He reached for her hand and held it quietly. It was cold, almost as cold as he had been when he had transformed.

"I-I didn't m-mean to!" Bane trembled. "I... I couldn't control myself..." Bane placed her head back on the ground, stepping back. Amelia took a seat next to Lupe.

Lupe vaguely heard a conversation in the background between Bane and other man, but his eyes were only on his cousin. He wouldn't let himself cry. He wouldn't.

"...Did you know her... for long?" Amelia asked softly.

"N-no," Lupe replied. "I just met her the other day. Right before I met you... But she was my family, I suppose. The only family I really ever knew, other than my mom..." He looked at Tryst's vacant blue eyes, devoid of any spark of life, so unlike her eyes when she was alive, bright and cheerful. Blonde hair, freed from her braid, lay spread around her hair like a golden halo.

"I'm sorry." Amelia said.

"Don't be. There's nothing you could have done. She was the only one of us who could have done it. You would have died for sure if you had taken on the Hulk." He paused. "Besides, she was a fool. Brave but a fool..."

Neither spoke.

Lupe set her hand back down. But just then he felt something strange: a pulse.

He bent down towards Tryst's body, looking at her for any signs of life. Surely enough, he could see her chest starting to rise. "Tryst?" He called. "Tryst?"

She blinked. "I am a fool, cousin?" She spoke with a cough, sitting herself up. Lupe helped her to sit, giving her a gently pat on the back.

"Tryst, don't do that again! You shouldn't be alive!" He exclaimed.

"Actually, cousin," A small grin appeared on her face, "I shouldn't have been _dead. _Very common mix up." Lupe gave her a brief hug. "And I am touched you care."

**5**.

Tryst stood up shakily, her legs trembling slightly. She could hear her heart beating every second, slowly bringing life back into her limbs. She stretched her arms out and blinked a few times, trying to get her head straight. Her mind was a little foggy still, and her body was slightly numbed.

"Thank you cousin," she said, as Lupe helped her to her feet. "I must converse with Bane now, if you do not mind." Lupe shrugged, and wished her good luck, before walking over to Amelia and talking to her.

_Ah, they are an amiable couple_, Tryst grinned a little. _But now you must set your mind to the serious matters that lie before you._ She pulled her hair behind her back into her typical braid.

Bane was over on the other side of the room, conversing quietly with an older man and a woman. _His parents?_ she wondered. Nevertheless, she had pressing matters to attend to. She caught the last few phrases of their conversation before approaching. "Bane," the older man said, "It is my intent to train you. If you so desire. You can come with me and Yvonne, if we can get you from S.H.I.E.L.D.-"

"Bane?" Tryst called. Bane turned around to her, his face lighting up.

"T-Tryst?" He stuttered. "B-but you were dead!"

"It was a misunderstanding, it's all sorted out now. I'm alive and well," She beamed.

Bane looked at the ground. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what, Bane?" Tryst asked. "It wasn't your fault that you turned into a beast. You were not in control of your actions. For you, Bane, there's nothing to forgive." She moved his chin to make his eyes meet hers. "The real question, is can you forgive yourself?"

"... I don't know," he admitted finally.

Tryst embraced him quickly, then broke free. "Now, who art these people who accompany you? Especially this Midgardian, who bears such a likeness to you? Is he your father?"

"Not really," Bane frowned. "He's like my father, but I've only just met him..."

"Ah, like my cousin and uncle?"

"Kind of. Y'see, I'm what's known on Midgard as a 'clone.'" Tryst pulled on a confused face. She didn't understand the strange term. "It means that I am like a copy of him. An exact copy."

"Ah... I think I understand..." Tryst remarked.

"You don't understand at all, do you?" Bane raised one eyebrow.

"Not a thing."

7.

"Ev?" Anubis murmured, sitting on one end of the couch where her brother lay, apparently unconscious. "Ev? Wake up, bro." Lyrene walked over to her. "Is Ev going to be okay?" She asked the older woman quickly.

"He'll be fine," Lyrene replied. "But his body's been through a lot in one day. It may take his body awhile to repair all the damage."

"Can't you just magic him better?"

"I've done all I can. Magic can't fix every problem out there." Lyrene bit her lip. "Well at least my magic can't. I'd need a more powerful spell then I'm capable of making."

"Couldn't I-"

"-Your magic is different then most kinds of magic, Anubis," Lyrene said, knowing what Anubis was about to say. "Yours isn't as much about spells. Your magic is inherent in you. You don't cast spells really... Your magic is built into you and does its own kind of thing, from what I understand. It protects you. I'm trying to train you so you can unlock that magic and harness it, instead of letting it harness you. I just don't know if it will work or not."

"What about Lupe?" Anubis asked. Inside her mind, she tried to communicate with him. But somehow, her signals weren't getting through.

"He's powerful all right. Probably the most powerful magic I've ever seen. But he's untrained. He could just as soon kill Everest as heal him." Anubis shuddered. Would Lupe feel bad if he accidentally killed Ev? They had been fighting ever since they met...

No. Lupe was not his father, and he was not a murderer.

"I see," Anubis sighed, glancing back down at her sleeping brother. He stirred a little. "Ev?" She asked excitedly. But it was just a twitch, and he was still asleep.

He wasn't wearing his shirt, as Lyrene had placed bandages around his ribs. Anubis could see nasty black and blue bruises on his arms and chest. A few small cuts and scrapes were on his arms. And then there was still the faint outline of a burn on his chest where she had accidentally shot him.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps running up stairs, and the elevator was going again. Agents dressed up in all back rushed into the room, guns held up and each wearing an earpiece.

"You all have been ordered to evacuate, why are you still here?" An Agent inquired, his voice accusatory. "Agent Nato, why are these children still here?"

Agent Nato stood himself up, and approached the new Agent. "As the resident S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, with no word from S.H.I.E.L.D., I made the call to stay in the Tower until help could arrive, because Everest Barton was injured and unconscious."

"Agent, orders arrived a few minutes ago, ordering immediate evacuation of all personnel inside Stark Tower."

"I received no such transmission. And as you may know, the Hulk has now either transformed back into Bane, or is dormant. There is no cause for evacuation now," Nato said.

"Let us be the judge of that," The Agent said coldly.

6.

Bane could still feel where Tryst had hugged him. It was such a rare gesture of affection. Yvonne only did it a few times when he was younger, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had told her to stop. Bane didn't know why, but he missed it. And now... here was Bruce Banner. His father. Or technically, his DNA-parent.

And he liked Bane. He wanted to teach Bane. To be around him.

It was like all of Bane's hopes for the future had come true. He hadn't dared to dream of meeting him...

Tryst had left him and Bruce and Yvonne to talk alone. He couldn't help but feel awful about the whole incident. But more importantly, joy that she had been alive, and he hadn't killed her. He didn't know how he could live with himself if he had killed her.

"Did... did you ever accidentally... hurt someone you loved... when you were the Hulk?" Bane asked Bruce suddenly. Bruce looked at him closely.

"I-"

Then the stairway door was kicked down, and a half-dozen men swarmed in, all yelling with guns blazing. "GET DOWN!" One yelled. "DOWN NOW!"

Bane quickly complied, used to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s orders and the consequences of not following them. He noticed Amelia immediately falling to the floor in response, and Lupe and Tryst reluctantly following. Yvonnne followed as well. But Bruce still stood.

"GET DOWN!" The Agent repeated.

"I think you should just calm down," Bruce said softly. "You wouldn't want a repeat incident."

"Is that-"

"Bruce Banner," Bruce said firmly. "And I think we should all just slow down and explain what's going on. You won't be needing that gun for a simple conversation, now will you?"

Clearly the Agent was torn between doing what Bruce said, or following orders and possibly having his limbs torn off by an angry Hulk. He chose the latter option.

He set his gun gently down on the ground, and motioned for his other Agents to do the same.

"Now, let's talk," Bruce spoke. "I assume you're here for Bane? Expecting him to be the Hulk?" The Agent nodded. "Now what's your name?"

"A-Alsworth. I'm Agent Alsworth," The man replied.

"Okay Alsworth, what were you going to do when you found the Hulk?"

Bane marveled at the way Bruce was handling the whole situation. He was calm and efficient, somehow evoking immediate trust from the men, yet able to use the idea of the Hulk as a bargaining chip for compliance.

"We were told to..."

"Go on."

"We were told to shoot him with a special bullet, which would put him out of commission." Alsworth flinched. "...to kill him."

Bane slowly stood himself up. His eyes were filled with shock. He backed up from where the group of Agents all were. "W-why?" He whispered. "H...How?" All his life he had been with S.H.I.E.L.D. They were his protectors and his creators. And though he had a less than perfect childhood, they were his family. Or at least like one of them. And... they were going to kill him simply because he lost control once?

They had betrayed him.

**Author's Note**: Okay, here's the drawings that I promised you! Enjoy!

Tryst: i48. Tiny Pic dot com /rvao7p . jpg

Lupe: i48. Tiny Pic dot com /142h4ko . jpg


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's Note**: Hey sorry for the wait. I was going to quickly upload a large mega chapter to celebrate 100 reviews, but then crap hit the fan. In the past few weeks, I've experienced the worst week of my life, been sick, and had an insane amount of schoolwork. I've been stressed to the point of depression. It's insane. But I'm starting to feel better. So there's my excuse.

A quick note about Revengers though: the one shot I promised? Yeah. That one. Anyway, you haven't seen it because a) it's not done. And b) I'm actually writing it into the plotline. However, I will be working on another one shot, about Anubis, to just post whenever we get some good reviews.

As promised, here's your pics to celebrate:

Amelia: i48. tinypic 16hou2w . jpg  
Tryst: i48. tinypic 332s0p4 . jpg  
Tryst 2: i46. tinypic ok3bt2 . jpg  
Lupe: i46. tinypic 2yo4l6d .jpg  
Anubis: i45. tinypic 6edon6 . jpg  
Neo: i47. tinypic 34jf393 . jpg  
Bane: i50. tinypic a5h5s . jpg  
Everest & Anubis: i49. tinypic sm38ee . jpg

Update: add a slash between tinypic and the number/letter thing! Thanks to Morgan for pointing this out!

P.S. Here's a LOOONNNGG chappie for you guys!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This…**

**6.**

Bane opened the door to the hotel, Bruce following behind him. "I still can't believe you did that," Bane said quietly, taking the nearby bed, closest to the door. He wore an overly large shirt and pants, some of Bruce's.

"I still hold a little control around S.H.I.E.L.D., it seems," Bruce sighed, setting down his suitcase. "Still afraid as always."

"But still... you managed to get me out of there, AND get me out of their base..." Bane said, a little awestruck. "I've rarely ever been outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s care..."

Bruce stopped, turning around to face his clone. "We're going to have to change that then. And it looks like we'll have a lot to discuss..." That was an understatement. There was the whole clone thing, the mental connection, the lack of control... so many thoughts were rushing through Bane's head. It had only been 4 hours since they had been in Stark Tower, and already his life had been drastically changed. He was staying with Bruce for an undetermined length of time, at a local hotel. Bruce had told S.H.I.E.L.D. off, and that he couldn't let him stay with an organization that was prepared to lie to Bane, and kill him without a second's hesitation.

"Tea?" Bruce asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Would you like some tea? It's a habit I picked up from my travels. Nothing is more soothing than a cup of green tea," Dr. Banner explained, pulling out a thermos from his pack.

"Um... sure?" Bane shrugged. Bruce gave him a hesitant smile, and handed him the cup that belonged to the thermos. Bane looked down at the steaming hot beverage. He had only had it a few times. S.H.I.E.L.D. typically only gave him water.

He took a sip and was warmed from the inside out by the drink. "S'good," Bane mumbled to Dr. Banner.

"You probably have some questions for me, right?" Bruce laughed breathily as he nodded. "But I do have one for you: ...What did S.H.I.E.L.D. tell you about me?"

Bane set down the tea. He paused to think for a little. "Not too much, considering things." He bit his lip. "They told me you were essentially an experiment gone wrong. And that you had no control over your powers. That you were a menace to society. And that I was supposed to be the solution. The new and improved Hulk."

"So they didn't tell you about the Incident?" Bruce asked.

"Er, no. I just know something important happened a long time ago that split up the Avengers. And then you left." Bane offered. "What? What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. It's a lot to deal with..." He wrung his hands. "And to be honest, I haven't even dealt with it fully." Bruce looked down. "/Always on the run from your problems, eh, Banner?/" he said quietly. He must have thought Bane couldn't have heard him.

"Well I'm... glad you're here now."

"Thanks, kid. So am I..."

* * *

**1.**

Everest winced as he slid into bed, his body aching and sore. He had taken multiple pain meds earlier, all prescribed by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. And he was NOT looking forward to when his parents arrived back from Russia tomorrow. They didn't know about the actual meeting at Stark Tower, as he had kept it a close secret from them.

And he had hoped to keep it that way. Unfortunately, he was severely injured in more than one place, and their daughter learned magic. They would find out anyway, and it was perhaps better to tell them directly. They couldn't be too mad at him when he looked this bad, could they?

He turned off his light and closed his eyes for a minute. When he opened them again, two entire hours had passed by. Everest noticed a sharp pain on his chest as soon as he moved. He quietly muttered an obscenity, while reaching for his phone.

Everest quickly checked his facebook. Nothing his friends said were interesting anymore. He had just /confronted the Hulk/. Suddenly, Adam's new car meant nothing. It was boring. Old news. /If only I could tell them what happened to me.../ he frowned.

He scanned his contact book. Wait... there was a new contact. "Neo Stark," Everest muttered. "That little brat hacked into my phone and inputted his own contact!" Maybe it was time to rethink his password...

He sent a quick text to Stark. The reply dinged back only 30 seconds later.

_"Isn't it a bit late to be texting_?" the message read. Everest glanced at the clock. It was 2:30 am.

"_You're awake, aren't you_?" he replied snarkily.

_"I rarely ever sleep. What do you want_?" Neo said.

_"Do you have Amelia's number_?" Everest asked with a glimmer of hope.

_"Why? So you can bug her too? Besides, I have everyone's number."_

_"So will you give it to me?"_

_"Go to sleep, Everest."_

_"Hey, I got you a date with my sister tomorrow_." Everest texted. If persuasion wouldn't work, maybe guilting the little Stark would...

_"Fine. But then we're even."_

_"Sure thing."_

* * *

**2**.

He was asleep.

Lupe was in a large, dimly lit room. Incredibly tall ceilings raised far above his head, and the walls were lined with rows upon rows of bookshelves. The center of the room was bare, with only an extravagant red carpet in the middle. He spun around, unsure of how he had gotten there in the first place. He thought he had been asleep...

"Over here," A voice said softly behind him. A flash of white lights followed.

Lupe turned to see the shadowy figure of Loki Laufeyson behind him. "...You..." he whispered. "What... where... am I?"

The smallest of smirks appeared on the Asgardian's face. "You are on Asgard. Well, a very small, isolated part of Asgard to be exact. The royal library."

"W-why?" Lupe said, finally noticing how cold the room was. He shivered slightly, noticing that his father was not disturbed in the slightest by the frigid temperatures. Figures.

Loki chuckled, "I've come to teach you, and train you in your inheritance. Seeing as I am not exactly wanted on Midgard."

Lupe's gaze moved down to himself. Instead of wearing his flannel pajamas, he wore a simple green and black tunic, with black trousers. Loki, on the other hand, wore his ceremonial armor.

"I have a mentor, on Midgard," Lupe replied. "She's already teaching me magic. You're not needed. You've already shown how much you care."

"Come now, it was not my fault I was detained for your youth. The important part is that I am here now to start your training." Loki snapped. "And about your 'Midgardian mentor,' she will not teach you anything of real use."

"What do you mean?" Lupe inquired. As he spoke, he noticed a large skylight on the top of the ceiling, revealing the Asgardian sky. He nearly stopped breathing, as he watched it. Countless stars, innumerable stars, filled the sky. Faint blue lines swirled around forming galaxies and planets.

"I mean, do you honestly believe an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. would allow the son of a supervillain to reach his full potential? No, he would be too much of a threat. Besides, the Midgardians are ignorant. They do not understand most of the higher magics, and know nothing of the Frost Giants- your true lineage." Loki explained.

"And shall I assume that I will be transported here every night no matter how much I protest?" Lupe asked bitterly.

"You would be correct in your assumption," Loki replied. He gestured one hand in front of him, and a small table appeared. A small blue crystal lay on the table. It pulsated quietly with a blindingly white energy.

"What is that?" He asked, feeling himself drawing closer to the mysterious artifact.

"It is called a Isofane crystal, one of the few items of value that come from Jotunheim. I happen to have one stored in my personal collection, from my apprentice days," Loki said. "It is famous for killing any who touch it, unless they are a Frost Giant." Loki paused, considering something silently. He drew a hand close to the crystal. "I assume the Midgardian woman has taught you of the ley lines?"

Lupe nodded. "The strings that show magic that you see."

"And I presume you can see them properly?" Another nod. "Well, then the Isofane crystal should be near-blindingly white from the ley lines for you."

"Yeah... why does it do that?" Lupe said, squinting.

"First things first," Loki swept a pale hand past Lupe's eyes. "I have adjusted your vision, so the lines are not so bright for you. Another skill the Midgardians have no concept of," he added, quieter.

"Now, the crystal is so bright because of who you are, Lupe," the God of Mischief said purposefully. "It is the essence of a Frost Giant. And you are, as it happens, half Frost Giant. Here, we will explore what that means." Loki motioned for Lupe to rest his hand near the crystal. "First, watch what happens when I touch the crystal."

Loki closed his eyes, and held the small blue crystal in one hand. It started in the hand. A deep blue hue flowed up from Loki's hand, sweeping up around his arms and up to his face and the rest of his body. Indentations and markings appeared on his skin, forming ancient patterns and runes in some odd language. And when he opened his eyes, the whites were a fierce red.

He set the Isofane crystal on the table again, and soon enough, Loki was back to normal. He looked down at his son and gestured towards the object. "Now you try. It will prove helpful to your studies if you examine our differences."

Lupe looked cautiously at it. Surely he had enough Frost Giant blood to save himself from the certain death prescribed to touching the crystal. Or Loki was just trying to kill him. Which, knowing the God of Chaos, was entirely possible.

_Just go with it_, Lupe chided himself. He slowly and deliberately picked up the gem. Immediately, he felt an extreme chill race up and down his body. It was the coldest thing he had ever felt, and half of him screamed in agony. But... the other half... enjoyed it?

Lupe stared openmouthed at his hands. They slowly turned into a pale blue, his veins blending in perfectly. His vision grew blurry, and he was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them, he could see his reflection in the crystal. His irses were a blood red, and though he was lacking the markings and bumps that Loki had on his skin, all of Lupe's skin was blue. And there was the surge of power flowing through his veins.

"Let go," Loki said suddenly.

"What- why?" Lupe asked, suddenly overprotective of the Isofane crystal. It was soothing. Well, partly. The other part was begging him to release.

"Let go, _now_," Loki commanded, his voice growing stern.

"-No-!" Lupe shouted, clinging it close to his skin. Loki reached forward and snatched it from his grasp.

Lupe dropped to the ground with a gasp. All the energy had been drained from him, and his skin slowly reverted back into normal. "Next time, I expect you to obey immediately." Loki said, peering down at Lupe's motionless form. "Many of the things I will show you and teach you are deadly if used improperly. I caution you to use more caution in heeding my words next time." And with that, Lupe blacked out.

* * *

**5**.

Tryst fidgeted nervously in her bed. Finally, she threw all the covers off of her, breathing heavily as she shot off of the bed. She flicked the light on, still not used to the Midgardian system of electricity. Although, her mother always told her of the day when she accidentally knocked all the power off the grid for their entire city...

"Curse these Midgardian sleep cycles," she muttered. She could swear the days were longer on Asgard, and she wasn't used to sleeping this much. At this rate, she'd be energized for at least 2 more days without sleeping. Tryst sighed.

She walked out of her room, to go check out the magical device called a "television" that was in the living room of the hotel. Lupe had explained it briefly yesterday, and she was intrigued. Especially of the shows he had mentioned, and the one called "Doctor Who." Anything about aliens would be humorous to watch.

As she strode into the living room, she passed by her cousin's room. She could hear whimpers coming from inside. "Cousin Lupe?" She asked warily, opening the door a crack.

Lupe shook slightly, his breaths heavy. He lay surrounded by bedsheets, and both hands were resting on the pillow above his head.

"Lupe? Are you alright?!" She asked hurriedly, running over to him. She pressed a hand against his forehead. It was icy cold, and almost stung her. "Cousin, awaken!" She yelled. No response.

"O Hela, have you spared me only to take my cousin while he slumbers?!" She cried out, examining him. He was still now, no longer shaking. His eyelids fluttered. Green eyes stared up at her, as he woke with a startle.

"Tryst?!" He exclaimed. "W-what are you doing in here?!"

"I heard you cry out in your sleep, and was worried for your well-being!"

"I-I'm fine, Tryst," He stuttered, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"You do not look fine," she frowned. "Did you have a nightmare."

"If I told you, would you leave me alone?" He asked bitterly, pulling a blanket towards him.

"Sure, cousin," Tryst sighed, knowing better than to mess with someone in this mood.

"Yes, I had a bad dream. Now can you go?"

"Do you wish to talk about it...?"

"No. Goodnight Tryst."

"...Goodnight Lupe."

* * *

**7**.

It's dark. Pitch black actually. All Anubis could see was the empty void swirling around her. She searched for any source of light, but there was none. It was cold too. As cold as ice.

_Anubis..._ A voice whispered. As it spoke, a faint blue glow appeared in the distance. She jumped a little in fright, but soon walked towards the light. It flickered then disappeared.

"Hello?" She called out. Her voice echoed through the empty room.

_...Anubis_... it whispered again. The light reappeared. Anubis started to run towards it. The closer she got, the brighter the light became. The whispers started again, calling her name, mumbling her voice.

She skidded to a halt, suddenly in front of the mysterious light.

It was a small blue cube, radiating the light she had seen. It glowed mysteriously. The room was humming with energy, all from the little cube. It had to be the Tesseract. For the strangest of reasons, Anubis felt the urge to pick it up. But some distant part of her told her it would be a bad idea.

_Anubis_... the voice was coming from the cube now. _Anubis_...

"W-what do you want?" She called out, her hand hovering over the Tesseract.

..._Anubis_...

She gently reached down and placed it in her hands. Then, all at once, her vision exploded with white light, and she was transported into a completely new location. Anubis looked around. She...she was in space! All around her the stars danced, and she noticed her feet rested on a rocky planet surface. The Tesseract still gleamed in her hands.

However, something was wrong. She was still able to breathe, even without a spacesuit. Some sort of energy projected by the Tesseract had to be protecting her.

"Hello," said a feminine voice. Anubis glanced up. A beautiful, unearthly woman stood on a rocky staircase, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "I have been waiting for you, Anubis Barton."

"W-who a-are you?" Anubis stuttered. The Tesseract pulsated quietly, feeding energy into her.

"I am the voice of the Tesseract," the woman smiled, looking down at her. She wore a soft, almost see-through, blue dress, and had long hair that reached down past her waist. But most surprisingly, she had the same bright blue eyes that Anubis herself possessed. "You are here because I have been waiting for you."

"B-but why me? Why d-do you want me?"

"I have chosen you. I have always known it would be you to bear the burden of the Tesseract," the woman explained gently, her voice soft and flowing like a stream. "I chose you through your father. I lay dormant in him, after his possession. I waited for the right opportunity. I needed a child, someone I could make my own. Someone powerful, but open to change."

"Why me, though? W-why not Everest?" Anubis asked. Her hands felt like they had been glued to the Tesseract. She couldn't move them off. But... she didn't want to. The blue cube was relaxing and comforting, and felt like a part of her.

"You and the Tesseract are bonded. That is why it rejuvenates you so," the woman said, answering Anubis' unspoken question. "And I chose not your brother, for I knew he was too untamable and rebellious. But you- my child- you were the perfect one for me."

"B-but what does this mean? What do I do? Why do you need me?"

"You are my bearer. You have within you, the essence of the Tesseract. In the next few ages, you will grow into your powers and abilities as a bearer, and you and I will be one."

"One? What will happen to me?" Anubis said, fear flickering in her voice.

"You shall become the Tesserace."

"T-tesserace? What is the Tesserace?" She asked, the woman's smile slowly faded away.

"It is your future. And you shall accept it. Together, you and I will control the fate of men, and posses the power we desire. You shall become all that you dream, and I shall be given a true body to possess," she said, her voice growing harsh. "This is only meant as a message to you. A message of my good will. Do not fight me, Anubis. This is your destiny."

Then, in a rush, Anubis was transported back, her eyes closed. She awoke in her bed with a start. The Tesseract was gone from her hands, but they still buzzed with energy.

Her heart pounded as she quietly whispered, "I am the Tesserace."


	18. Chapter 17

**Authors Note:** Hey all! Sorry for the wait. Life's been crappy, and yeah. Hope you like the chapter! -Jazzy Pseudonym

**Chapter 17: Pertaining to Time and Unanswered Questions**

* * *

**3**.

It had been a week since the incident at Stark Tower. Yet they still dealt with the aftermath of that nearly fatal day. S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to closely monitor the group, but they never saw any agents except for Agent Nato and Lyrene. Bane was living with Bruce in some sort of hotel. Word had it they were searching for an apartment. Stark had offered them a room, but both Hulks had declined. However, in an interesting change of events, both Lupe and Tryst now were staying in Stark Tower.

Amelia still journeyed down the busy New York streets to Stark Tower every morning exactly at 7. So, that Thursday, she was dropped off by her dad, and went directly to their floor. She took off her heavy jacket and placed it on the couch in the newly added small sitting room in the training center. Lyrene, Anubis, and Lupe used it for their lessons.

Speaking of which, Lupe sat alone on one of the cushy leather chairs, sipping coffee.

"Hey," Amelia smiled politely. "Where's Neo and Tryst?"

Lupe looked up suddenly, and Amelia realized he had been reading a book. It was titled "Advanced Magical Theories," and seemed to be written in a strange language.

"Oh hi, Amy," he said, setting the book down on the coffee table. "Neo's in his lab. Like always. And Tryst said something about communicating with Thor through some sort of crystal ritual thing. I'm sure she'll be down in a few minutes. Or something... I don't really understand what she said or what's she's doing..."

Amelia laughed a little, taking a seat on the couch beside her jacket. "So are you learning a lot?"

"Plenty," Lupe said, with a small frown. She looked at him confusedly.

"Are you enjoying it?"

Lupe inhaled, staring at the book next to him. "Some of it. Reading I don't mind. Doing magic I don't mind. It's just... the teaching process I'm not a fan of."

"Well I'm sure you're doing great!" She said brightly. "Not that I can be a judge of anything magical..."

"Yeah I suppose so. Right now all Lyrene's teaching is just magical theories. Nothing hands on. It's a bit anticlimactic."

"Well what _do_ you know?"

Lupe smiled, and waved one of his hands. Suddenly, a small rose appeared in his hand. "For you?" He handed to her.

"That... that was amazing." Amelia said, taking the rose. "You're pretty good."

"I s'pose so."

The elevator chimed, and Tryst barged into the room. "Good day to you cousin! Ah- and good day to you, daughter of Steve!"

"Hello to you too, Tryst," Amelia stood up, and gave the demigoddess a quick hug. "You ready for today's workout? I think Agent Nato is teaching close combat..."

"I am, how do you say it?, 'as ready as I ever shall be!'" Tryst beamed, setting Mjolnir down on the ground. Amy quickly placed the rose in her jacket pocket, stretching herself out. Her muscles were a little sore, she had been pushing herself lately.

"Well that's good," Amy said with a smile. It was hard not to be happy when Tryst was around. Tryst's perpetual good cheer was infectious.

* * *

**7.**

Anubis sat still in the chair, her eyes glossy and unfocused. Lupe snapped his fingers in front of her face, with not reaction. He glanced over at Lyrene, who shrugged.

"Hey, you okay?" Lupe's words pulled Anubis back into the real world. She blinked a few times, looking up to where Lupe and Lyrene were. She shook her head, and breathed a couple times.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just spaced out for a second there," she gave a reassuring smile.

But she wasn't fine. 'Spacing out' was merely a codeword she had invented for herself to explain the recent blackouts she'd been experiencing. For a few seconds, she would go completely blank. Her mind would shut off. But then a little bit later, she would seem to reawaken, and be completely fine. However, she could never remember what happened in between...

Which was more than a little worrisome. Especially because of the ominous dream from a week ago...

_You sure you're okay?_ Lupe's voice said in her mind.

_Yeah, really_, she replied. She didn't want to worry anyone. She was certain she could figure out the Tesseract problem by herself. _Just thinking I guess... You know what? We haven't been talking as much lately,_ she observed.

Next to her, Lupe paled slightly. Anubis looked at him quizzically. _Now is everything alright with you_? she asked.

_Yeah, just the typical teenage dramas and stuff, _he replied evenly. _Speaking of which, how did your date go?_

_Oh great_! she replied warmly. Anubis noticed that Lyrene was now deep into a conversation about the history of magic, and the folklore surrounding it. She found herself not really caring about it. And Lupe... Lupe seemed to already understand everything Lyrene said, even before she said it...

_I'm happy for you,_ he said, fiddling with the magic pen-sceptre in his hands.

_...Something's definitely wrong with you_, Anubis said bluntly. _What's going on? You can tell me you know.._. she said calmly. Her blue eyes connected with his green.

_I dunno, I've just been thinking about my dad a lot lately_... he muttered.

_Understandable_, she replied.

Lupe shuddered a little, then stood up straighter. _Hey, you should listen to what Lyrene's saying. It's important stuff, okay_?

_And you don't need to listen_? Anubis teased.

'_Course not_. Anubis stifled a chuckle, and refocused on Lyrene again. But, deep within her, she could hear her heart pounding. And with each breath, she could hear otherworldly whispers... all of them saying one thing: _Tesserace_.

* * *

**1**.

Everest stood nearby, watching everyone practice combat. He took a quick sip of water, and sat down on the bench. He wasn't allowed to work out or practice fighting for two more weeks, the doctor's said.

As it was, bandages still circled around his chest. Most of the burns were gone, however he had found out, much to his dismay, that he had cracked 3 ribs.

Every movement hurt, yet Everest still found himself wanting go out and practice. And it wasn't just because Amelia was there. His skills were getting rusty, and they'd need practice.

Bane hadn't been coming very much lately either. Apparently he and Bruce usually went to a rural area and practiced Hulk-control. Which was perfectly fine with Everest. After the last run-in with the Hulk, he was fine getting some distance from Bane. And if that gave Bane more control in his skills- more power to 'im.

As he watched Nato run the group through training drills, Everest wished desperately for anything to pass the time. He wished that he had his phone back.

After the incident, Everest was brought back home. His parents had no idea of the S.H.I.E.L.D. outing he had planned- because of his lies. Needless to say, when a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents shows up at your doorstep with your injured son, and your now-magic daughter... well... there's bound to be consequences.

Because of Everest's trickery, he found himself phoneless and carless. His poor car was taken as well, which meant that his mom now had to drive him and Anubis around.

Everest sighed, sinking into his bench.

* * *

**2**.

"Who is she?" Loki asked simply, as Lupe entered the dream world yet again, later that night. Lupe shivered slightly at the colder temperatures that were in the library. He glanced up at his father, who stood nearby. He wore an unamused frown. His sceptre was leaning against a bookshelf.

"Who's who?" Lupe replied, scratching his head. His black hair fell in front of his eyes again.

"The girl you are so clearly infatuated with," Loki responded, barely keeping his voice calm. He breathed deeply. "And I hope for your sake it is not Tryst Tho-"

"-No," Lupe interrupted. "You think I'm in love with my _cousin_?!"

"Let's get something straight first," Loki hissed. "She is not your cousin. Thor is not your uncle. He is _not_ my brother." There was still pain behind the words. And Loki would never tell Lupe the full story behind them. Not even Tryst would divulge the whole story. If she even knew it. Loki's eyes flashed a dangerous shade of blue. How peculiar...

"But Tryst always say-"

"Forget her!" Loki snapped. "Forget anything she told you. You're here to listen to me, not the daughter of the pathetic excuse for an Asgardian king." Lupe counted to ten in his head. It would not be good to snap at his father now. "Now tell me who it is, so we can get this taken care of..."

"How did you know...?" Lupe asked warily.

"I've had my suspicions. But the other day when you asked about summoning spells... for living objects... like _flowers_, I knew it to be true," Loki explained carefully. "And do not try to lie to me, Lupe." Loki's now-green eyes narrowed. "I am still the God of Lies. No matter if you are my son or not- I shall know if you speak the truth."

Lupe sighed. "It's not Tryst."

Loki looked relieved.

"But it is the daughter of someone you know," Lupe admitted. "-But I won't tell you who. For her safety," Lupe quickly added.

"You think I would risk going to Midgard simply to harm the girl you are infatuated with?" Loki asked with a laugh.

Lupe looked at him seriously.

"You're right, I probably would," Loki mumbled. "But I can't risk it now..." Loki gestured for Lupe to take a seat at their table. Lupe sat down, glancing at the tall stack of books in front of him. The books were old and dusty, not to mention exceedingly long and thick.

"Now that _that's_ taken care of, shall we get on to tonight's lesson on frost-magic?"

* * *

**Somewhere in Midgard...**

Býleistr smiled, walking into town. He noticed a small establishment, where many Midgardians seemed to gather. Scents of sustenance wafted from the building. Come to think of it, his stomach was growling. He should probably feed the mortal form before it grew too weak.

He walked into the building. "Hello!" An older woman said. "What can I get you today, sir?"

Býleistr glanced down at the sheet of paper she had handed him. His eyes quickly adjusted to read the Midgardian words. A benefit of knowing the All-Tongue.

"I shall have this 'club sandwich' and an ice water," he instructed. "And whatever information you can provide me."

"I'll get your sandwich right away. And as far as information goes- I'll see what I can do. What do you want to know?" The woman smiled.

"I would much appreciate any information you know about the man called 'Loki,'" Býleistr said, trying to keep his voice at a normal range. The woman's face paled.

"Good Lord, it's another one of those sci-fi seekers," she mumbled quietly. "Ever since that government agency..." She shook her head. "I'll go get someone who can help you with that some more," She said to him.

"Darcy?" The woman called. "We've got another one!"

A young Midgardian woman walked up to the older woman, from the back of the building. She had previously been eating some sort of sustenance. She had long brown, wavy hair and calm grey eyes.

"I'll take care of it, Myra," The woman named Darcy said, giving the other woman a quick pat on the back. "That makes three this week..."

Darcy sat down at the opposite end of the table Býleistr was sitting at. "At least you're a human," she laughed, gesturing towards his Midgardian clothes. "I'm _so_ through with Asgardians... Now, you looking for Thor, then?"

_Thor_? Býleistr wondered. _He was here too? Was _all_ of Asgard?_ He could still see the outlines of Loki's grey magic everywhere. The town stank of it. "Er, no," he replied. "I am looking for the other Asgardian, Loki."

"You mean Thor's crazy murderous psycho brother?" Darcy asked incredulously. "Why would you want to find _him_?"

"Reasons," Býleistr frowned. "It's personal."

"Personal...?" Darcy's eyes widened. "Oh no, you are... you ARE another one of them..." She rapidly stood up from her place at the table. "Sorry, but I left my tazer at home, and I am SO not going through with this..." She then proceeded to run out of the building as fast as she could.

"How odd..." Býleistr thought to himself. But he should probably follow the strange woman. She seemed to be the only knowledgable one around. And perhaps if she could lead him to Loki or even Thor...

He stood up, ignoring the delicious smells of the 'sandwich' the woman was bringing out. He rushed out of the door. He glanced around, looking for where Darcy could have run off to. He heard the sound of a mechanical engine starting. He turned to see her driving off in an automated carriage.

With a grunt, he charged off after her, quickly catching up to the old vehicle. He still maintained a bit of his superhuman strength and speed, and managed to rip open the passenger seat door. He pulled himself into the car, and turned to look at Darcy.

"Now, which way to Loki?" He asked grimly


	19. April Fools!

I'm sorry to inform you of this, but I have decided to take a break from writing for a whole and go on hiatus. unfortunately this means Revengers is coming to an end. Thank you for all your support. It's meant a lot.

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The end of Revengers?! Hiatus?! LOLNOPE. April fools! Enjoy a Oneshot instead! ~Jazzy Pseudonym

**Oneshot**: The Day Mischief Died

"Tryst come quick!" Neo yelled, running towards the demi-goddess's door. Tryst's blonde head peeked out of her room.

"What ails you, son of Stark?" She asked, her hair damp from a recent shower.

"I went to go wake up Lupe... and... he's not waking up," Neo said with a slight tremor in his voice. Tryst's eyes widened, and she quickly slammed the door. Neo heard the sound of drawers opening and closing, and Tryst soon emerged in sweatpants and a tee shirt.

"Lead me to him immediately," she said, her hand clenching tight.

Neo quickly ran down the hallway, Tryst following him worriedly. Neo slid into Lupe's room, where Anubis and Everest already were gathered. Lupe lay silently on his mattress, his chest neither rising nor falling, and a blanket thrown off the bed.

Everest had one hand wrapped around Lupe's thin wrist. "There's no pulse," he said, as Tryst and Neo walked in. "I don't know how long he's been out but... I think he's gone."

With a sob, Tryst raced over to her cousin. She leaned down near him, her eyes starting to tear up. "My cousin... How have you fallen like this? You cannot be dead... You cannot!"

Noticing the ruckus, Bane walked in the room. "What's going on? I heard yells-"

"Lupe's dead." Everest said bluntly.

"W-What?" Bane looked startled. "But how?"

"We don't know," Anubis replied softly. "We arrived and... he wasn't breathing."

Tryst wrapped her arms around Lupe's body, but to her dismay, they sank down into the mattress, and her cousin's body faded away. "What's going on? Lupe?!" She shouted in surprise. Where Lupe had been only a few seconds ago, he was gone.

Beside the door, they all heard laughing. Lupe Lokison strode in, a large smile on his face. Anubis, Neo, and Everest all started to laugh loudly with him. "Oh we got you guys so bad," Everest chuckled. "You so fell for that."

"April fools!" Anubis added.

Tryst stared blankly at the two of them. "What is going on?"

"Oh... they don't have April fools in Asgard, do they?" Neo muttered.

"I don't really know what's going on either..." Bane added quietly from the back of the room. "Is this some sort of holiday?"

"Yet another piece of evidence that S.H.I.E.L.D. is no fun at all," Everest replied snarkily.

"April fool's is a holiday when people pull pranks and jokes on others. Then after the joke, they say "April Fools! It's fun," Lupe explained, resting his hand on Tryst's shoulder. She still looked at him confusedly.

"That is a cruel way to gain entertainment." Tryst remarked.

"So wait... how did you do that exactly?" Bane asked Lupe.

"Magic, of course."

"Well, now that you've all had your fun, we're all late for training." Amelia Rogers walked in, her face totally unamused.

"Hey, where were you when Lupe died?" Everest asked her.

"I'm not a practical joke kinda person. For obvious reasons." Amelia raised one eyebrow. She gave a particularly unapproving glare to Lupe, who was still snickering. "It's bad enough having to deal with one mischievous demi-god. I don't see why they need a holiday for it. It's cruel and mean and an all around awful holiday. Now go work out." She walked out of the room in a huff.

"Spoilsport," Lupe said with a wry smile.

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS FROM THE REVENGER'S GANG!


	20. Chapter 18

**Author's Note**: Okay, I could never imagine Darcy as older than in her twenties. Like, ever. So for this story, I bent the rules of time and basically place her in her late twenties. How do I explain this unnatural phenomena? I don't know, maybe Jane hooked her up with some anti-aging Asgardian creme... Choose your own logic.

Sorry for the long break, anyway. I was doing Camp NaNoWriMo and couldn't write Revengers. HAD to write my Original Novel. So, sorry! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! ~Jazzy

P.S. Lupe got a role playing tumblr. You should find him. I had to change some things for the role playing, but meh. Lupelokison . Tumblr .com

P.P.S. Please Review it makes my day! :D

**Chapter 18: Meeting the Thunder God**

* * *

**On a Highway Somewhere...**

"I don't know- how would I know that?!" Darcy said with a small flail of her arms. "I'm not part of S.H.I.E.L.D., or married to Thor- how would I know where Lo-"

"You will take me to him," Býleistr ordered coolly. "I'm sure you will find a way to locate him."

"No arguing with a demi-god," the woman sighed, improving her grip on the steering wheel. She looked out around her, as the dry desert land sped past her.

Býleistr turned to face her with an angry look, "Don't for one second mistake me for the traitorous /Asgardians/" he spat. "Next time you make such a mistake, I guarantee you it will be your last."

Darcy's eyes widened briefly. He clearly had some deep rooted anger issues. "Okay, Okay. I got it." She exhaled deeply, turning her gaze back to the road, thinking quickly. "The only place I could imagine Loki to be would be New York. However I think he is actually back on Asgard-"

"Your thinking is incorrect. Loki has not been on Asgard for a long time." The man replied sternly, not giving away his source of knowledge. He glanced out of the window at the dusty landscape. Wasn't Midgard supposed to be covered in water?

"So what are you? Intergalactic police?" Darcy said with a small laugh.

"Police? I do not understand the term."

"/It's like Thor all over again.../" Darcy whispered to herself. "It's the people who catch criminals and stuff."

Býleistr thought for a second, then nodded. "You could say I'm that."

A few minutes of silence occupied the car. Darcy squirmed a little, but the strange alien in her car didn't seem fazed. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about the stranger. He seemed ruthless- like he wouldn't care what happened to anyone else as long as he got Loki. Every time an alien came to earth, destruction followed in their wake. And there was the fact that he seemed hostile to Asgardians.

As far as Darcy was concerned, 99% of Asgardians were good (the obvious exclusion being Loki). So if the stranger was against them... it could stand to reason he wasn't a nice guy. But if he was against Loki specifically...

No, he also didn't like Thor, she had noticed.

She had to help him, or lose her own life. Right now it didn't matter what would happen later on. Darcy was just concerned with making it out alive...

* * *

**4.**

Tryst couldn't sleep. After three hours of tossing and turning, she hopped out of bed and grabbed the small crystal from her knapsack. It was small enough to fit comfortably in her hand, and clear like ice. Earlier, she had attempted to use it to contact her father. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked.

She missed her dad a lot, and it was the first time she had been alone on Midgard. Tryst clutched the crystal, and muttered a few of the spell's words. She wasn't good at magic, but she knew enough to cast the simple contact spell.

A dull ringing sounded in her ears as the spell traveled. Then, it stopped, as the crystal pulsed. A small image of her father appeared. She held the crystal aloft and smiled. He sat in his throne room, and she could see the large windows that lay behind his throne, where the bright Asgardian sun was shimmering.

"Father! It is most pleasing to see you!" she said with a small bow. Thor smiled. "I tried to gain audience with you earlier-"

"I am sorry, daughter. I was unavailable at the time. I had to travel to Jotunheim for some business." He said, his voice downcast like his eyes.

"Jotunheim?!" She said in shock. "What business do you have there?"

"It seems their frozen prince has awoken, and I traveled there on a diplomatic mission."

"How did it go?"

"As it turns out, the prince was unavailable." Thor said with a deep laugh. "But no matter- daughter, how are you faring?"

"Quite well, father," Tryst said respectfully. "I have made contact with 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' and I am currently training with them."

"Daughter, what is the matter?" Thor glanced at Tryst, noticing the hesitancy in her speech. She was avoiding something. Her father knew her too well, and could tell.

"I have met someone father, that no one expected to see..."

"Who?" Thor asked, careful to keep his voice calm and diplomatic.

"His name is Lupe... and father..." Tryst looked down at her feet before speaking. She wasn't sure whether or not to continue. How unlike her. If it had been two months ago, she would have immediately told her father. Her loyalty to him was unquestioned. She was confused about her feelings, but managed to answer, "He is your brother Loki's son."

The news took a second to sink in. Then Thor's face lit up. "Are you yet joking with me, my daughter?" He smiled.

"No, father, I am quite serious. And I saw your brother as well."

Then Thor's face dropped. "You have seen Loki? Where? What was he doing?"

"J-just for a moment," Tryst said with a stutter. She scooted closer to the crystal, holding it near her face. Her father's eyes flickered along the gem's surface. "He was visiting my cousin. It seemed like they had never met. Then, he left as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived."

Thor sighed. "This is worrisome. Loki on the loose can mean no good for Midgard." He rung his hands, itching for Mjolnir.

"Are you going to come to Midgard then?"

"I am afraid with all the trouble on Jotunheim I cannot... But I shall advise you. I don't want you to get into a direct fight with my brother. He is too strong for you." Tryst bit her lip, looking down. "I do not doubt your strength, daughter." Thor said comfortingly. "If I had, you would not be on Midgard now. But my brother has had millennias to practice his magic. He nearly took down your planet."

Tryst nodded solemnly.

"I would wish to see my nephew, daughter, if you can get him."

"Of course, father. I shall go call for him."

Tryst walked out of her room, and gently closed the door. She hopped down the hallway towards Lupe's room. She knocked on his door, and waited a patient five seconds before barging in.

"LUPE! Wake up, cousin!" She said, only slightly quieter then a yell. Lupe didn't respond, completely crashed out on his bed. Tryst walked up and poked his back, which was exposed. Thankfully, he wore pajama pants. However, Tryst noticed that his bare back was covered in angry red marks, that seemed to grow across his skin.

"Lupe?" She asked, poking the mark. He flinched but did not move. "Cousin, wake up..."

She pushed him over, exposing his front side. His hair covered his eyes, which were closed shut.

"By Odin's Ravens, WAKE UP!" She yelled.

Nothing.

He was still breathing, and she could feel his pulse, but he wasn't waking up. "Cousin, if this is some sort of trickery..." she whispered. But he still didn't move. "...It's not funny anymore."

* * *

**2.**

Lupe could feel his skin burning as he held the flames aloft around him. "Keep it up for just a few seconds longer," Loki commanded him, standing a couple of feet away, observing him.

The tendrils of flame curled around his skin, etching their pattern into his back. But he endured, gritting his teeth and not making a sound. Finally, he collapsed on the ground, the flame extinguishing around him with a violent hiss.

"Good. That was very good," Loki said with a slight purr. He rarely offered compliments, and the small phrase made the suffering a little lighter. "You are advancing incredibly well. I think tomorrow we'll start with the-" Loki froze. "I hear someone calling you... Thor's daughter. You should go." He snapped his fingers, and Lupe woke up in his bed. Tryst stood over him like a ghost. He let out a small grunt, immediately feeling his back ache.

"Tryst!" He sat up. "How long have you been...?!"

"For several minutes. You were not waking up, cousin. And your back is..." she winced. "You must come to my room. My father wishes to speak with you..."

Lupe swallowed hard. Her father... Thor... He bristled slightly, remembering Loki's constant harsh words towards the King of Asgard. Then he shook it off, reminding himself of Tryst's. Only time would tell who was right. Even though his father was the God of Lies, Lupe had learned to look past it. He knew his father. He wasn't that bad.

He stood up. "Let me put on a shirt first," he said with a slight grumble. He reached into his makeshift dresser and pulled on a plain white tee shirt before Tryst dragged him out of the room into hers.

"Follow my lead," she whispered in his ear as she approached the crystal. The entire room was filled with an eerie blue glow, and Lupe could see the white lines of magic filling the area. He heard the hum of magic surround him.

"Father, I am sorry to make you wait so long," Tryst bowed down. "This is Lupe Lokison." She pushed Lupe up to the crystal. He stared at its glossy surface for a moment, unsure of what to do. Tryst nodded at him, giving him a 'well, go on' gesture.

Lupe cleared his throat. "Er, hello..." He said cautiously, looking at the image. It was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties with long blonde hair and a beard. He looked exceedingly similar in appearance to Tryst. Well, that made sense.

"My daughter has told me about you, Lupe Lokison," The man's voice boomed through the room, as if he were actually there. "My name is Thor Odinson, and I am the King of Asgard, and your uncle."

"It's a ... pleasure to meet you," Lupe said finally.

"Indeed. I was not aware that my brother had a child on Midgard, otherwise I would have contacted you long ago. I know the true meaning and importance of family." Thor sighed deeply, as if remembering something painful. "I wish to meet you in person some time soon, nephew."

"On Asgard?"

"Yes, naturally. It shall do you good to learn more about your heritage and your ancestry. There we can also prepare your rightful ceremony-" Thor stopped, noticing Lupe's confused look.

"A ceremony? For what?"

"You are of the royal family, Lupe Lokison. You are rightfully a noble of Asgard. You have yet to be crowned as a god, as you should. Tryst underwent her ceremony many years ago, but is now enduring the Idunn Trials..." Thor frowned. "I can see all this information is confusing to you. I shall explain it more to you later, when you come to Asgard. And perhaps my brother shall come to meet me as well, when you are here. We have been searching for him for many years."

"I see."

"Have you seen your father recently?" Thor asked.

Lupe paused, briefly wondering how to answer. In person? No. In his dreams? Well, yes. And disturbingly so. "No, I have not. I had only met him once before," He answered slowly. "And that was several weeks ago. Tryst can tell you."

"Indeed father. The meeting was a while ago. I shall keep you informed of events here," Tryst replied.

"Good, my daughter. It was good to meet you, nephew. And daughter, please contact me in three days time. I do not wish to disturb your slumber any longer."

Tryst severed the connection with the crystal, and the room grew pitch black, as both the light from the crystal and the glowing ley lines disappeared at once.

"G'night Tryst," Lupe said tiredly, walking out of his room. Tryst muttered a reply, but Lupe wasn't listening. He threw himself on to his bed and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was back in the library.

"What was that all about?" Loki asked coolly.

Lupe frowned, looking down at his feet before confidently answering, "Thor just asked about you. And me. He's on to us."


End file.
